Regional Mountain Conference

Observing the surface deformation in ice-rich mountain permafrost, particularly of rock glaciers as climate-sensitive landforms, opens a window to the subsurface thermal and mechanical processes. As climate warming accelerates permafrost degradation, research increasingly focuses not only on deformation rates but also on deformation modes, in order to improve process-based understanding of the kinematic response of rock glaciers to climate change. In this context, Rock Glacier Velocity (RGV) has recently been designated an Essential Climate Variable (ECV) parameter by the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS). However, existing approaches to measure RGV either rely on spatially extensive remote sensing, which captures translational motion and is ineffective during snow-covered periods, or on localised in-situ measurements that may lack spatial representativeness.

The InclinoNet project addresses this gap by building and deploying a distributed network of autonomous, wireless in-situ inclinometers to continuously monitor the rotational motion of surface blocks on the Äußeres Hochebenkar rock glacier (Ötztal Alps). Funded through an Early Stage Funding grant from the University of Innsbruck Vice-Rectorate for Research, the project captures rotational deformation of multiple blocks simultaneously, providing a novel observational perspective that complements established displacement-based measurements. The inclinometer data are validated using independent surface-displacement observations derived from terrestrial laser scanning and GNSS. Overall, InclinoNet will show how dense, ground-based sensing can enhance the detection and interpretation of deformation patterns associated with permafrost degradation, thereby strengthening the observational basis for RGV assessment, process understanding, and hazard evaluation. The technological insights gained may also support the development of future hazard monitoring and early-warning systems in high-mountain environments.