DIFFERENTIAL INTERFEROMETRIC APPLICATIONS IN ALPINE REGIONS

The high-mountain mass-transport systems are the results of steady mass shifts and catastrophic mass-movement events. The equilibrium of these systems is markedly influenced by ice occurrence, which makes high mountains especially sensitive to climate impacts [1]. The creeping and thawing of frozen debris, often found as permafrost, is a significant factor for the disposition of periglacial debris flows and related slope instabilities [2]. Not only instabilities of debris slopes but also instabilities of rock slopes can be connected to glacial and permafrost processes [3]. Glacier retreats, for instance, affect the stability of valley flanks, or varying ice content affects the rock hydrology. Such system interactions clearly show the urgent need of integral hazard assessments accounting for a variety of relevant processes in high mountains, also considering that a variety of natural hazards in high mountain regions are affecting human activities. Taking into account the wide-area coverage, remote-sensing techniques represent suitable tools for an integral hazard mapping and monitoring in high mountains, regions that are typically difficult to assess [4].