An Integrated Approach to Geohazards, Climate Change, and
Resilience
Aosta (Italy) June 29 – July 7, 2026
The impacts of climate change are increasingly evident through the growing frequency and intensity of extreme events. Geohazards, such as floods, landslides, and slope instabilities, clearly illustrate these ongoing transformations, which can significantly affect both infrastructure and human
activities. In a context characterized by pronounced variability and uncertainty, understanding these processes and their cascading effects is essential to designing effective adaptation and mitigation strategies for the near future.
To achieve this, hazard assessment approaches must evolve to incorporate changes in both natural systems and human environments, as these factors can alter the balance of risk analyses, the estimation of return periods, and the development of realistic future scenarios. Only through a deeper and more integrated understanding of these dynamics will it be possible to enhance resilience and design innovative mitigation measures that can address emerging challenges.
The IAEG 2026 Summer School – “An Integrated Approach to Geohazards, Climate Change, and Resilience” aims to explore the complex interactions between climate change and geohazards. By promoting innovative tools and methodologies, the program will focus on characterizing ongoing
environmental changes and defining forward-looking adaptation strategies to strengthen the resilience of societies and infrastructures.
The International Association for Engineering Geology and the Environment (IAEG) was founded in 1964 and is affiliated with the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS). IAEG is a worldwide scientific society that promotes and encourages the advancement of Engineering Geology through
technological activities and research, improves teaching and training in Engineering Geology, and collects, evaluates, and disseminates the results of engineering geological activities worldwide.
PROGRAM
Monday – June 29, 2026
Introductions and background to the school and fundamental concepts
8.00 – 8.30 Summer school registration
8.30 – 9.00 Introduction to the IAEG Summer School Daniele Giordan, and Welcome to the Aosta Valley Region Sara Ratto (Aosta Valley Region Authority)
9.00 –10.45 Fundamental physics of climate change and its observable impacts Elisa Palazzi – University of Torino
10.45– 11.15 Coffee break
11.15 – 13.00 Drought Risk and Water Scarcity in a Changing Climate: Processes, Impacts, and Risk Implications Edoardo Cremonese – CIMA Foundation
13.00 – 14.30 Lunch
14.30 – 16.15 Hydrological digital twins and their use for predictions of future evolution Riccardo Rigon – University of Trento
16.15 – 18.00 Students’ presentations
18.00 – 19.00 Ice-break cocktail
Tuesday – June 30, 2026
AI and Climate Data
9.00-10.45 Climate Tipping Points: What the Past Reveals About Our Future Massimo Frezzotti – University of ROMA3
10.45 – 11.15 Coffee break
11.15-13.00 Deep learning for pattern recognition in geoscientific datasets. Valentin Terzius Bickel – University of Berna
13.00-14.30 Lunch
14.30-16.15 Large-Scale Landslide Forecasting Models with Uncertainty Quantification. Alessandro Mondini- CNR IMATI
16.30 – 18.00 Working groups
Wednesday – July 1, 2026 – Field trip
Dangerous natural processes and mitigation solutions in Courmayeur
Thursday – July 2, 2026
Advanced monitoring solutions
9.00-10.45 LiDAR and photogrammetry for high-resolution topographic analysis Marco Piras – Politecnico of Torino
10.45-11.15 Coffee break
11.15-13.00 Satellite InSAR for ground deformation monitoring Alessandro Ferretti – TRE ALTAMIRA
13.00-14.30 Lunch
14.30-16.15 Workshop Hands-on with Drones: Capturing High-Resolution Data for Geohazard Mapping and
Change Detection. Creating a high-resolution orthomosaic and Digital Surface Model (DSM) of a simulated landslide area Marco Piras & Vicenzo Di Pietra – Politecnico of Torino
16.15-18.00 Workshop Hands-on with Drones: Capturing High-Resolution Data for Geohazard Mapping and Change Detection. Creating a high-resolution orthomosaic and Digital Surface Model (DSM) of a simulated landslide area Marco Piras & Vicenzo Di Pietra – Politecnico of Torino
Friday – July 3, 2026
Advanced monitoring solutions
9.00-10.45 ground-based InSAR development and perspectives. Davide Leva – Lisalab
10.45-11.15 Coffee break
11.15-13.00 Monitoring solution in high mountains Fabrizio Troilo – FMS
13.00-14.30 Lunch
14.30-16.15 workshop – Climate Data Challenge: Analyzing Global Datasets with AI to Identify Regional Geohazard Hotspots. Use of a well-known dataset Marco Zanchi – University of Milano Bicocca
16.15-18.00 workshop – Climate Data Challenge: Analyzing Global Datasets with AI to Identify Regional Geohazard Hotspots. Use of a well-known dataset Marco Zanchi – University of Milano Bicocca
Saturday – July 4, 2026 – Field trip
Impact of large slope instability on large dam: the case study of Beauregard dam
Sunday – July 5, 2026
Free tour of Aosta and surroundings!!
Monday – July 6, 2026
Modeling Geohazards
9.00-10.45 physics-based models (physical equations to simulate mass movements) J A Fernandez Merodo – Instituto Geológico y Minero de España
10.45-11.15 Coffee break
11.15-13.00 data-driven models (statistical or machine learning approaches) Filippo Catani – UNIPD
13.00-14.30 Lunch
14.30-16.15 Python for Geoscientists: An Introduction to Geohazard Modeling with Open-Source Tools Martin Mergili – University of Graz
16.15-18.00 Working groups
Tuesday – July 7, 2024 Focus on Landslides and Avalanches
9.00-10.45 Anticipation of landslides and their impacts Fausto Guzzetti – CNR IMATI & Durham University, IHRR
10.45-11.15 Coffee break
11.15-13.00 Monitoring, predictive modeling and early warning systems for landslides. Giovanni Crosta – University of Milano Bicocca
13.00-14.30 Lunch
14.30-16.15 Vulnerability and risk assessment of cultural heritage exposed to climate-induced extreme events: tools and solutions for preventive conservation Alessandra Bonazza – CNR ISAC
16.15-18.00 Working group results presentation