Overview of 2001–08 GPS monitoring at the Corvara landslide and perspectives from 2010–11 use of HR X-band SAR (Dolomites, Italy)

The Corvara landslide is a large active earthslide–earthflow in the Alta Badia Valley, Dolomites (South Tyrol, northern Italy). Over the last decades, the valley became renowned as a winter ski resort and an important area for summer tourism. Due to its slow but steady displacement, the landslide damages the national road 244, which connects the Alta Badia Valley to the Campolongo Pass, as well as lifelines, ski lifts and water pipes for snow production. The landslide is being investigated since 1996 and discontinuously monitored by means of GPS surveys from 2001, in order to assess geomorphic hazard and to establish possible mitigation measures. Recently, PS interferometry (based on 2010–11 high resolution X-band SAR data from the Cosmo SkyMed mission) has been tested using corner reflectors installed at GPS benchmarks points, allowing cross-validation and monitoring system integration. This paper provides an overview of GPS results for the period 2001–2008, discusses evidence on the seasonal behavior of different landslide sectors, presents recently obtained PS results, and highlights the positive perspectives opened by high-frequency SAR datasets in capturing slope processes more effectively than by means of periodic GPS only.