This study presents a year-round automated electrical resistivity tomography monitoring of a steep permafrost rockwall combined with borehole temperature, anchor load and piezometer observations. The joint analysis revealed seasonal phases with enhanced mechanical forcing of rockwalls related to high hydrostatic and cryostatic pressures, which are of particular interest for understanding preconditioning of rock instabilities.

The summertime thaw depth of permanently frozen ground (active layer thickness, ALT) is of critical importance for natural hazard management (e.g., rock avalanches) and construction (foundation stability) in mountain permafrost regions. We report the first analytical heat transport model for simulating ALT based on near-surface temperature in permafrost rock walls. Our results show that the ALT will likely increase by more than 50 % by 2050 at 3000 m a.s.l. in the European Alps.

We present a unique long-term dataset of measurements of borehole temperature, repeated electrical resistivity tomography, and piezometric pressure to investigate the complex seasonal water flow in permafrost rockwalls. Our joint analysis shows that permafrost rocks are subjected to enhanced pressurised water flow during the thaw period, resulting in push-like warming events and long-lasting rock temperature regime changes.  

Multispectral remote sensing imagery enables landslide detection and monitoring, but its applicability to time-critical early warning is rarely studied. We present a concept to operationalise its use for landslide early warning, aiming to extend lead time. We tested PlanetScope and unmanned aerial system images on a complex mass movement and compared processing times to historic benchmarks. Acquired data are within the forecasting window, indicating the feasibility for landslide early warning.