The research will be focused on the analyses of the impactsof the climate change on permafrost environments and the related ecosystems inpolar areas and alpine mountains. In these areas permafrost is thawing almosteverywhere, changing deeply the landscape and triggering surface instabilitythat interacts with the evolution of the ecosystems. The research will focus onthese complex and dynamic relationships and on the identification of the groundand massive ice in different polar and alpine areas to compare how differenttypes and amount of ice can influence landscape changes and the terrestrialecosystem changes. The research fits with the PNR 2021-27 within the generaltopic of Climate, Energy and Sustanaible Mobility and more in particular withthe frame of 5.5.2 Climate Change, Mitigation and Adaption. In detail theresearch here proposed can contribute to several subtopics like 5.5.2.2 becauseit will contribute to monitoring and understanding of the relationships betweenClimate and Earth System. Moreover, the research can contribute also to the5.5.2.4 because the analysis of the risks related to the permafrost degradationespecially in the alpine environment or in the coastal polar environment cancontribute to the improvement of the modelling of the future scenarios ofimpacts on the infrastructure and on the populations and economy at localscale.

The candidate should have basicknowledge on the climate change, on the climate change impacts on thecryosphere and on the ecosystems of periglacial environment. Basic knowledge onGIS and statistical analyses are also welcome. The candidates should be readyto work in a dynamic, international context with an important field workactivity in polar environment.The candidates should have basic knowledge ongeophysical investigation especially GPR, EM and ERT.

‍

The research team is part of the Climate Change ResearchCenter of Insubria University and works in polar and alpine areas. Here it willbe possible work in a multidisciplinar team including the CRyosphere Lab withresearchers, post Doc and three Phd students experts of permafrost measurementsand modelling,  remote sensing, soils andgeophysical investigations. This group interacts with the Botany and ClimateChange Lab in which other experts of terrestrial ecology are working.The teamis working in cooperation of many international Institutions.