PEOPLEChiara Crippa

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Chiara Crippa

Senior Researcher
Institute for Earth Observation

T +39 0471 055 884

chiara.crippa@eurac.edu

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9856-7042

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About

Geology and geomorphology
Cryospheric processes
Alpine dynamics
Remote sensing
SAR- DInSAR analyses
Natural hazards

Chiara Crippa is a senior researcher at Eurac Research in Bolzano, Italy. She received her Ph.D. in geology from the University of Milano Bicocca in 2020. After 2 years of Postdoctoral research in the applied geology group (GEO/05) of Milano Bicocca she joined the Earth Observation Institute at Eurac in 2023. Her main research topics include the study of alpine slope dynamics, geomorphology, and the application of satellite SAR data and remote sensing products for the analysis of natural hazards.

Links to external profiles

Linkedin: Chiara Crippa | LinkedIn

Research Gate: (21) Chiara Crippa

Google Scholar: ‪Chiara Crippa‬ - ‪Google Scholar‬

ORCID: Chiara Crippa (0000-0002-9856-7042) - ORCID

Scientific Publications

Report2025

Klimarisiken und Anpassung - Wege zu einem klimaresilienten Südtirol

Zebisch M, Pedoth L, Pörnbacher M, Renner K, Fritsch U, Alberton M, Bertoldi G, Bisignano J,

Chiara Pellegrini, Mariachiara Alberton, Giacomo Bertoldi, Federica Maino, Uta Fritsch, Andreas Hilpold, Andrea Omizzolo, Wolfram Sparber, Nikolaus Obojes, Lydia Pedoth, Kathrin Renner, Marc Zebisch, Alice Crespi, Philipp Corradini, Giacomo Strapazzon, Chiara Crippa, Christian Hoffmann, Matteo Prina, Giulia Roveri

Project: Climate Change Adaptation Strategy South Tyrol, 5a/2026 Environmental policy and law in multilevel systems, Eco-Hydrology of alpine watersheds

Der Bericht „Klimarisiken und Anpassung – Wege zu einem klimaresilienten Südtirol“ untersucht die möglichen Klimafolgen und Klimarisiken sowie deren Ursachen für Südtirol für neun Sektoren und schlägt Strategien und Maßnahmenbündel für eine notwendige Klimaanpassung vor. Er soll die Klimaanpassungsstrategie des Landes vorbereiten sowie informieren und setzt daher die Schwerpunkte auf Klimarisiken, die weite Teile Südtirols oder mehrere Systeme, Sektoren oder Handlungsfelder gleichzeitig betreffen und sich kaskadenartig ausbreiten. Außerdem fokussiert diese Studie auf Anpassungsstrategien und Maßnahmen (wie z.B. Politikinstrumente), die auf der Ebene der Provinz eingeführt und umgesetzt werden sollten, und weniger auf technische Maßnahmen in einzelnen Handlungsfeldern.

DOI Source

DOI: 10.57749/4ehb-1753

Journal article2025

Optimizing rock glacier activity classification in South Tyrol (northeastern Italy): integrating multisource data with statistical modelling

Crippa C, Steger S, Cuozzo G, Bearzot F, Mair V, Notarnicola C

Giovanni Cuozzo, Claudia Notarnicola, Chiara Crippa

Project: PNRR iNEST - Interconnected Nord-Est Innovation Ecosystem

As a consequence of atmospheric warming, high-altitude periglacial and glacial environments exhibit clear signs of cryosphere degradation, and the Alps serve as a natural laboratory for studying the primary effects on permafrost-related features. Our research in South Tyrol, northeastern Italy, aimed to develop an updated classification system, based on remote sensing data and statistical models, for rock glacier activity, categorizing it as active, transitional, or relict according to the new Rock Glacier Inventories and Kinematic (RGIK) guidelines. While the current regional inventory includes activity attributes based on morphological observations and differential interferometric synthetic aperture radar (DInSAR) coherence, it lacks a comprehensive classification that also considers climatic drivers, displacement rates, and morphometric parameters. To fill this gap, we utilized the Alaska Satellite Facility's interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) cloud computing, employing the Small Baseline Subset (SBAS) and Miami InSAR time-series software in Python (MintPy) algorithms to extract velocity data for each rock glacier investigated in this study. Additionally, we analysed geomorphological and climatic maps derived from in situ and remote sensing data to obtain descriptive parameters influencing rock glacier development and activity. From a wide range of potential variables, we selected eight key predictors, representing physical (e.g. temperature), morphological (e.g. roughness), and dynamic attributes (e.g. velocity and coherence indicators). These predictors were integrated in a multiclass generalized additive model (GAM) classifier to categorize the mapped landforms. Applying this model to the entire dataset (achieving an area under the curve (AUC) over 0.9) allowed us to address gaps in previous classification methods and provided activity attributes for previously unclassified rock glaciers, along with associated uncertainty values. Our approach enhanced the previous classification, leaving only 3.5 % of features unclassified compared to 13 % in morphological classification and 18.5 % in the DInSAR-based method. The results revealed a predominance of relict features (∼75 %) and a smaller number of active ones (∼10 %). The result of the distribution of active, transitional, and relict classes suggests that the transition from active to relict states is not direct. Instead, an intermediate transitional phase is commonly observed. This comprehensive approach refines the categorization of mapped features and improves our understanding of the factors influencing rock glacier activity in the alpine environment in South Tyrol.

DOI

DOI: 10.5194/tc-19-3493-2025

Report2025

Rischi climatici e adattamento - Verso un Alto Adige resiliente al clima

Zebisch M, Pedoth L, Pörnbacher M, Renner K, Fritsch U, Alberton M, Bertoldi G, Bisignano J,

Project: Climate Change Adaptation Strategy South Tyrol

Il documento “Rischi climatici e adattamento – Verso un Alto Adige resiliente al clima” analizza i possibili impatti, i rischi climatici e le loro cause per l’Alto Adige in nove settori e propone strategie e pacchetti di misure per il necessario adattamento. Lo scopo è quello di preparare e informare la strategia di adattamento ai cambiamenti climatici della Provincia; pertanto, si concentra sui rischi climatici che interessano vaste zone dell'Alto Adige o che colpiscono contemporaneamente diversi sistemi, settori o campi d'azione e si diffondono a cascata. Inoltre, questo studio si concentra sulle strategie e sulle misure di adattamento (come gli strumenti politici) che dovrebbero essere introdotte e implementate a livello provinciale, piuttosto che sulle misure tecniche nei singoli campi di azione.

DOI Source

DOI: 10.57749/q8y8-tv70

Conference proceedings article2024

Integrating Sentinel-1 radar and Sentinel-2 multispectral data for detecting freshly exposed supraglacial deposits

Crippa C, Cuozzo G, Callegari M, Notarnicola C

Giovanni Cuozzo, Mattia Callegari, Claudia Notarnicola, Chiara Crippa

Project: PNRR iNEST - Interconnected Nord-Est Innovation Ecosystem

We propose a tool that integrates spaceborne radar data from Sentinel-1 and multispectral data from Sentinel-2 satellites to detect fresh debris accumulation or rock exposure on alpine glaciers. The tool leverages the VH cross-polarized backscatter difference between Sentinel-1 radar images to pinpoint clusters of pixels exhibiting prominent changes over time. It then integrates the NDSI information from Sentinel-2 multispectral images to discriminate between potential causes of the observed backscatter variations, such as snow cover changes, rock exposure or debris accumulation. The correlation between time series of VH values further allows to distinguish between localized phenomena like landslides and extensive ones like glacial surface changes due to snow metamorphism or accumulation. The tool is implemented in Google Earth Engine (GEE) and leverages open-source libraries and datasets, making it readily adaptable to other glacial environments.

DOI

DOI: 10.1117/12.3037075

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Journal article2025

Optimizing rock glacier activity classification in South Tyrol (northeastern Italy): integrating multisource data with statistical modelling

Crippa C, Steger S, Cuozzo G, Bearzot F, Mair V, Notarnicola C

Giovanni Cuozzo, Claudia Notarnicola, Chiara Crippa

Project: PNRR iNEST - Interconnected Nord-Est Innovation Ecosystem

DOI

DOI: 10.5194/tc-19-3493-2025

Chiara Crippa

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Scientific Publications

Klimarisiken und Anpassung - Wege zu einem klimaresilienten Südtirol

Optimizing rock glacier activity classification in South Tyrol (northeastern Italy): integrating multisource data with statistical modelling

Rischi climatici e adattamento - Verso un Alto Adige resiliente al clima

Integrating Sentinel-1 radar and Sentinel-2 multispectral data for detecting freshly exposed supraglacial deposits

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Scientific Publications

Klimarisiken und Anpassung - Wege zu einem klimaresilienten Südtirol

Optimizing rock glacier activity classification in South Tyrol (northeastern Italy): integrating multisource data with statistical modelling

Rischi climatici e adattamento - Verso un Alto Adige resiliente al clima

Integrating Sentinel-1 radar and Sentinel-2 multispectral data for detecting freshly exposed supraglacial deposits