I am particularly interested in mountain permafrost, both in equilibrium with current climate conditions and in its relict form. Rock glaciers and protalus ramparts are characteristic landforms of the periglacial domain, often used as indicators of permafrost presence in mountainous terrain. Relict rock glaciers can also serve as valuable proxies for paleoclimate reconstruction.

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High-resolution Digital Terrain Models (DTMs) with a cell size of 1.0 m or less, interpolated from airborne laser scanning (LiDAR), are currently the most effective tools for identifying landforms obscured by vegetation, especially where orthophotos offer limited usefulness. I have worked in high-altitude and high-latitude permafrost areas around the world, including the Alps, the Chilean Andes, the Karakoram in the Himalayas, maritime Antarctica, and Greenland.

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At present, I am investigating the relationship between relict rock glaciers in the southeastern Alps and paleoclimate conditions, as well as the current presence of permafrost patches and ground ice in the context of the rapidly warming Alpine landscape.

 

Since 2019, I have served as the Italian Representative to the International Permafrost Association (IPA), and I am currently a member of the IPA Council.