U.S.-Romania Collaboration: Rock Glaciers Dynamics and Permafrost Degradation using High-Resolution Optical and Multi-Polarization SAR Imagery

岩石冰川是高山永久冻土最重要的形式，研究岩石冰川动力学是了解气候变化条件下永久冻土相关地层演化和运动的关键因素。监测地形变化是必要的，以了解岩石冰川质量运输过程，检测其对环境变率的反应，并评估相关的自然灾害。该项目将支持西南研究所®（SwRI®）和罗马尼亚西蒂米什瓦拉大学（WUT）之间的一项新的国际研究合作，使用基于高分辨率光学和雷达卫星图像互补分析的最先进方法来量化岩石冰川动力学。该项目将建立一个“基准”研究，在那里我们将测试这些方法在测量位于罗马尼亚南喀尔巴阡山脉Retezat国家公园的几个岩石冰川运动中的适用性。它促进跨学科研究，汇集了地貌学、气候学、山地生态学、遥感和地理信息学的原理和具体方法。这项工作的结果将为中欧和东欧高山地区的岩石冰川运动的未来研究创造一个基线，这些地区的冰川岩石动力学信息很少或完全缺失。与此同时，我们将在美国开展类似的研究活动（例如，科罗拉多州的Front Range或犹他州的La Sal Mountains）。未来的研究将促进我们对山区气候趋势和永久冻土演变的更广泛理解，以及遥感技术探测和监测各种岩石冰川运动的潜力。

Rock glaciers are the most important form of high mountain permafrost, making the investigation of rock glacier dynamics a key factor in understanding the evolution and movement of permafrost-related formations under changing climate conditions. Monitoring terrain change is necessary to understand rock glacier mass-transport processes, to detect their response to environmental variability, and to assess associated natural hazards. This project will support a new international research collaboration between Southwest Research Institute® (SwRI®) and West University of Timisoara (WUT), Romania, to quantify rock glacier dynamics using a state-of-art method based on complementary analysis of high resolution optical and radar satellite imagery. The project will set up a "benchmark" study where we will test the applicability of these methods in measuring movements of several rock glaciers located in Retezat National Park, Southern Carpathian Mountains, Romania. It promotes interdisciplinary research, bringing together principles and specific methods of geomorphology, climatology, mountain ecology, remote sensing, and geoinformatics. Results from this proposed work will create a baseline for future studies on rock glacier movements in Central and Eastern European alpine regions where information on glacier rock dynamics is scarce or completely missing. In parallel with this work, we will initiate similar research activities in the United States (e.g., Front Range, Colorado or La Sal Mountains, Utah). Future research will advance our broader understanding of climate trends and permafrost evolution in mountainous areas and the potential for remote sensing techniques to detect and monitor a variety of rock glacier movements.