Staff

Dr. Guido Nigrelli (Naturalist, Researcher, person in charge of the group). His studies are mainly addressed to the: Role of ongoing climate change in the morphogenesis of the glacial/periglacial areas and related hazards; Meteo-climatic conditions, especially temperature and precipitation, for triggers of natural instability processes in mountain environments, with particular regard at high-elevation sites; Effect of climate change on the triggering thresholds of landslides in the Alps; Variability and evolution of the main climatic and hydrologic parameters observed in the Italian Alps; Evolution of Alpine glaciers in the last 150 years (post LIA), relation with topoclimatic conditions and related impacts; Documentation of natural instability processes in the Alps, with particular attention to processes that occur in glacial and periglacial environment; Development of information management systems (database, GIS, infrastrucures for spatial information), for the storage and management of glacial, periglacial and mountain digital resources, related to the Greater Alpine Region in general, and to the Italian Alps in particular. He is a member of the Italian Glaciological Committee.

Dr. Marta Chiarle (Geologist, PhD, Senior researcher). Her studies are mainly addressed to the analysis of the geological and morphological aspects of instability processes that develop in mountain environments, with a focus on morphodynamic processes that occur in glacial and periglacial areas, on the changes taking place as a result of climate change, and on related hazards. She devotes a specific attention to analyzing the role of climate and geomorphological evolution in predisposing high-altitude slopes to instability, as well as the role of meteorological factors in triggering slope failures. She also studies the recent evolution of glaciers in the Northwestern Alps and its consequences on natural instability. She documents events of natural instability in Northwestern Italy, with a focus on events occurring in mountain areas. She is the CNR representative within the Italian Glaciological Committee, and the CNR-IRPI representative inside the Cabina di Regia dei Ghiacciai Valdostani; she is a member of the GAPHAZ (Glacier and Permafrost Hazards in Mountains) group.

Dr. Giovanni Mortara (Geologist, Associated researcher). His studies are mainly addressed to the analysis of the geological and morphological aspects of instability processes that develop in mountain environments, with a focus on morphodynamic processes that occur in glacial and periglacial areas, on the changes taking place as a result of climate change, and on related hazards. He is a member of the executive committee of the Italian Glaciological Committee.

Dott. Andrea Merlone (Physicist, PhD, Senior Researcher at INRiM, Director of research): Since 2010, he is promoter and coordinator of the EURAMET Joint Research Project “MeteoMet – Metrology for Meteorology”, that groups a wide consortium of European Institutes of Metrology, Universities, Meteorological national and international Institutions, including WMO, GRUAN, manufacturers and research Institutes. In October 2013 he was awarded the EURAMET impact prize for “… the personal role in achieving the exceptional outreach of the MeteoMet project, which brings together key national and international bodies in meteorology and metrology, to new levels of cooperation”. He is now member of relevant International Institutions operating in the field of meteorology and climatology. Member of the working group of the WMO-GCOS Reference Upper Air Network (GRUAN). Member of the International Surface Temperature Initiative. BIPM CCT representative Member of the WMO CIMO A1 Expert Team on Operational In Situ Technologies. Member of the WMO Open Panel of the Commission of Climatology, Rapporteurs on Climate Observational Issues. Merlone is author or co-author of about 100 papers on international reviews and conferences proceedings, with more than 50 items on scopus and h=10. He held a number of university lecturers and courses on metrology and is tutor of PhD and Master degrees thesis. In 2009 he organized and chaired the IV Workshop on determination of the Boltzmann’s Constant. He recently launched, promoted and organized the series of international conference “Metrology for Meteorology and Climate (MMC 2014) now held together with the WMO-CIMO-TECO and the series of international “Arctic Metrology workshop”, also in conjunction with the “Arctic Circle Assembly”. His recent activities ranged from the accurate measurements of phase transitions thermodynamics, to the determinations of the Boltzmann’s constant for the new definition of the kelvin, to a new metrological approach for the traceability of meteorological observations and climate studies.