Temperature Analysis on the North-Western Italian Alps Through the Use of Satellite Images and Ground-Based Meteorological Stations

Abstract

In the present study we have analyzed the temperature data of the stations of high altitude on the north-western Italian Alps. The data used are the daily series of temperature over the last 51 years. The data were digitized and subjected to quality control and finally to homogenization. To improve the quantity of the ground-data, we decided to use the remote sensing data. The availability of large scale reliable and consistent spatial data as those of the MODIS “land surface temperature” datasets from the satellites “Terra” and “Aqua” allows to evaluate the variation of temperature extent over Alps even where there are no stations on the ground. Finally for the ground-base data the climatic indices were calculated. The analysis of the series showed a positive trend in temperature that coincide on the rise in altitude. In fact, the stations located above 1,600 m asl show a rise in temperatures and a decrease in cold periods. For maximum temperatures were observed greater increases in trends spring and winter, minimum temperatures in summer trends. The trends confirm climate change in an environment is particularly sensitive to temperature changes especially during the season of snow accumulation and vegetative growth.