Nigrelli, Guido; Chiarle, Marta; Matta, Erica (2026): Rock temperature and solar radiation in a rockfall-prone area of the alpine cryosphere [dataset]. PANGAEA, https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.995485
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Published: 2026-06-17 • DOI registered: 2026-07-16
Abstract:
In the alpine cryosphere, thermo-mechanical stresses due to rock temperature fluctuations, induce crack opening or widening, predisposing rock faces to failure. In the last decades, an increase in rockfalls has been documented and has been attributed to air warming and to solar radiation. However, in-situ relationship between solar radiation and rock temperature is still little known, while a comprehensive understanding of heat transfer in rocks and their thermophysical properties are crucial to rockfall risk mitigation. This issue is being investigated in the Bessanese high-elevation experimental site, that is located in the Western Italian Alps. This site is representative of the glacial and periglacial environments of the Alps and is registered in DEIMS-SDR (see https://deims.orgf8718e56fb4d-49a3-92a9-3670e7f10ee9). Solar radiation and rock temperature data collected at three different depths are available here for the scientific community.
Related to:
Chiarle, Marta; Fioraso, Gianfranco; Baldo, Marco; Godone, Danilo; Viani, Cristina; Allasia, Paolo; Giordan, Daniele; Nigrelli, Guido (2026): Enhancing geomorphological mapping with multi-source data in a changing climate: Insights from a high-elevation experimental basin in the Italian Alps. Cold Regions Science and Technology, 248, 104946, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coldregions.2026.104946
Nigrelli, Guido; Matta, Erica; Merlone, Andrea; Coppa, Graziano; Aranda, Natali; Corrado, Vincenzo; Ballarini, Ilaria; Afzali Fatatouei, Seyed Amir; Tootkaboni, Mamak; Gramazio, Andrea; Chiarle, Marta (2026): Rockfall risk mitigation in the Alps. https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-7133
Funding:
European Commission (EC), grant/award no. 20223MKEMB_PE10_PRIN2022 - PNRR M4.C2.1.1: Rockfall risk mitigation
Coverage:
Latitude: 45.303400 * Longitude: 7.122400
Date/Time Start: 2025-03-07T00:10:00 * Date/Time End: 2026-02-28T23:50:00
Minimum Elevation: 3473.0 m * Maximum Elevation: 3473.0 m
Event(s):
Bessanese (Bessanese high-elevation experimental site - Italy) * Latitude: 45.303400 * Longitude: 7.122400 * Date/Time: 2025-03-07T00:00:00 * Elevation: 3473.0 m * DEIMS ID: deims.org * Location: Italian Alps * Method/Device: Observation (OBSE) * Comment: Slope: 87°, Aspect: 92°, Lithology: Metabasite (Prasinite)
Comment:
Rock temperature, RT (°C), with a measurement uncertainty of 0.03°C in the range from -20 °C to +40 °C
Missing data: 724 (expressed as -999)
RT1: rock temperature acquired at 10 cm depth
RT2: rock temperature acquired at 30 cm depth
RT3: rock temperature acquired at 50 cm depth
Parameter(s):
| # | Name | Short Name | Unit | Principal Investigator | Method/Device | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DATE/TIME | Date/Time | Nigrelli, Guido | Geocode | ||
| 2 | Short-wave downward (GLOBAL) radiation | SWD | W/m2 | Nigrelli, Guido | Global solar radiation, SR | |
| 3 | Temperature, in rock/sediment | t | °C | Nigrelli, Guido | Thermometer | RT1, at 10 cm depth |
| 4 | Temperature, in rock/sediment | t | °C | Nigrelli, Guido | Thermometer | RT2, at 30 cm depth |
| 5 | Temperature, in rock/sediment | t | °C | Nigrelli, Guido | Thermometer | RT3, at 50 cm depth |
License:
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC-BY-4.0)
Status:
Curation Level: Enhanced curation (CurationLevelC)
Size:
206780 data points
Download Data
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