“Toward a trans-regional vulnerability assessment for the Alps. A methodological approach to land cover changes over alpine landscapes, supporting urban adaptation”. The partner Iuav University of Venice "Planning and Climate Change LAB" publishes in the Urban Climate magazine a study on how climate change is changing the way we experience the Alpine space.
Climate change is a worldwide phenomenon, which has spatial consequences that affect cities, the natural environment, and economic activities. Understanding how our lives are changing in relation to these events and how to be ready to manage their impacts is necessary to have precise medium-long term forecasting and control tools. As first, is necessary to identify the impacts of climate change, considering territories as something to defend and preserve. Decision-makers and scientific research are requested to attempt by giving a response to these challenges. The study developed by the research team of the Iuav University of Venice tried to answer how climate change is changing the way we experience the Alpine space. The study offers an analysis tool for the variation of mountain snow deposits from 1990 to 2017, quantifying the decreasing of the amount of snow and ice deposited. The researchers developed two assessments one in the Dolomites on the municipality of Cortina D’Ampezzo and the other in the Julian Alps on the municipality of Tarvisio. What emerged is a substantial variation in summer snow accumulations, equal to -34% in Cortina and -90% in Tarvisio. The study areas were selected according to their history, their landscape value, and above all for the economic bonds which characterizes these territories. The research produced a method to support the multi-level territorial governments controlling the trend of climate impacts on alpine space. The research team of the Planning and Climate Change LAB of the Università Iuav di Venezia assessed that this tool may support territorial adaptation processes considering the strategic relevance of these areas. In this sense, two events are planned to take place in these locations, which will have have a crucial relationship with mountain environments and the climate, the Ski World Cup and the 2026 Olympics. Through an article published in the international scientific journal Urban Climate, starting from the study, the impacts and effects of climate change expected in the context of the Italian and Slovenian Alps were presented. The expected impacts on the context of Italian and Slovenian Alps are described in the article published from the scientific international journal Urban Climate.The contribution aims to present a possible assessment methodology for land cover change over ice and snow, among 1990 and 2018 in two specific areas: Dolomites and Alpi Giulie. The proposed methodology suggests a response to the problems of discontinuity in the historical series of
surveys with a transboundary vision. The tool developed is intended as a support for environmental control, trends forecasting and, above all as a support for territorial government systems in climate proof planning processes. Under the perspective of the "business as usual scenario" of global warming, the water resources result to be one of the most exposed elements to the impacts of Climate Change with heavy consequences on ecosystems and urban environments. On the other hand, the current monitoring and assessment systems are fragmented both by survey methodology and by local distribution. The proposed methodology is developed in a GIS environment, following remote sensing (RS) processes and spatial analyst tools to manage multispectral satellite images. Furthermore, supervised classification methods allow achieving a complete recognition of homogeneous areas starting from the definition of Regions of Interest (ROI). The process works over the spectral signatures of the satellite image and identifying
homogeneous areas from a material and morphological point of view. Besides, the process is developed considering the actual systems of assessment and local socioeconomic exposures. The methodology is oriented toward a proactive approach in the hazards and impacts management of alpine habitats and as support to local administrations. Namely, the objectives within which this contribution aims to have relevance are the development of a transboundary assessment, to support planning adaptation strategies to climate change and, the development of one integrated analysis of the water resource.
Link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212095519304353
Operation co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund
