L'Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV) has started iCEALP (ice–Climate–solid Earth coupling driving ALPine uplift), the new research project developed within the programme Dynamic Planet 2026–2029, born with the aim of understand and quantify the solid Earth's response to climate changeThe project, coordinated by Enrico Serpelloni, Senior Researcher at the Bologna Section of the INGV, involves a multidisciplinary team from the INGV. The activities are developed in collaboration with the Alpine Climatology Laboratory of the University of Turin, the Montagna Sicura Foundation, the University of Milan-Bicocca, the University of Bologna, the University of Trento, the Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA), and international partners ETH Zurich (Switzerland) and the Department of Space Research and Space Technology (DTU Space, Denmark).
The project will provide valuable insights into how glacial melt, extreme hydrological events, droughts, and the redistribution of water and ice masses influence the stress and deformation of the Earth's crust, placing these phenomena in the broader context of the tectonic and geodynamic processes that govern the evolution of mountain ranges.
Among the most innovative elements of iCEALP envisions the development of a “Digital Twin” of the Alpine system, which consists of an advanced simulator capable of integrating geodetic, seismological, hydrological and satellite observations with three-dimensional numerical models to simulate future scenarios up to 2050 and beyond, along different climate trajectories. The goal is to move beyond the traditional approach that analyzes these phenomena separately, developing an integrated scientific framework of the interactions between climate and the solid Earth.
iCEALP also foresees the creation of FRIEND - Alpine Mountain Integrated Geophysical High-altitude Observatory, INGV's new integrated geophysical observatory in the Monte Ros areaa, designed for directly monitor the Alpine areas where the effects of climate change and deglaciation are most intenseThe infrastructure will help address the current shortage of integrated high-altitude geophysical observations.
The scientific and work programs for the next four years were defined during the recent kick-off meeting of the project while the first operational activities have already been started with the inspections aimed at the construction of the AMIGHO observatory in the Monte Rosa area and the strengthening of the polar observatory. HySO (Hydro-Seismological Observatory), already operational in northwestern Greenland. The two infrastructures will be key elements of the iCEALP observing network..
The research activities will be developed and validated in two complementary natural laboratories: the Alps and GreenlandThe Alps represent a vulnerable and complex system, where geodynamic, tectonic, climatic, and hydrological processes interact, offering a unique observational context for studying the response of the solid Earth to climate change.
Greenland, with particular reference to the Wolstenholme Fjord and the strengthening of the “HySO” and “THAAO” polar observatories, will instead constitute a reference environment for calibrating and validating the models developed by the project thanks to the intense loss of glacial mass and the consequent signals of deformation of the solid Earth.
The results of iCEALP will help develop a new view of the interactions between climate, cryosphere, hydrological cycle and dynamics of the solid Earth., improving understanding of the effects of climate change on crustal deformation and associated geological hazards, including slope instability, changes in crustal stress, and potential effects on seismicity. This new knowledge will also provide a scientific basis for monitoring the Alpine environment and supporting prevention and land-use planning activities.
Image - iCEALP, the INGV project that studies the response of the solid Earth to climate change.
Links
Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV)
Alpine Climatology Laboratory – University of Turin
University of Milan-Bicocca - Department of Environmental and Earth Sciences
Alma Mater University of Bologna - Department of Physics and Astronomy
University of Trento - Department of Civil, Environmental, and Mechanical Engineering
National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development - ENEA
Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich - ETH Zurich
Department of Space Research and Space Technology - DTU Space
