Analysing Glacier Retreat Effects on Alpine Hiking Infrastructure using Earth Observation

The glacier retreat and related geomorphological and periglacial processes in the surrounding alpine landscape have a strong impact on the hiking infrastructure with consequences for the local summer tourism industry relying upon high alpine mountaineering. Mountaineers perform their hiking activities on the basis of the well-kept trails, accommodation on huts and up-to-date cartographic maps that are provided by alpine associations and local tourist suppliers. However, summer tourism in the Alps faces major changes because the speed of climate change has induced a high dynamic of glacier retreat. Its associated effects can lead to trail damage and increased risks for mountaineers.
The project ReHIKE follows the strategic long-term objective to develop an Earth Observation (EO) based service for assessing the impact of landscape changes in high-mountain areas on the alpine infrastructure. Therefore, we use EO and geoinformatics techniques for mapping changes of glaciers and surrounding periglacial areas, particularly based on Sentinel-2 and Sentinel-1 data. We analyse the impact of glacier retreat on the alpine trail network in the vicinity of selected glaciated areas along the main ridge of the Austrian Alps. We analyse the different types of EO-derived maps and assign them to impact levels that categorise the collective impacts on alpine hiking infrastructure. The project demonstrates the value of EO-derived information for the target users consisting of alpine infrastructure managers, cartographers of alpine associations, mountaineers as well as tourism-related stakeholders. ReHIKE intends to show the benefits using such information for fulfilling tasks in alpine infrastructure management, cartographic map making, and risk-aware planning of hiking tours, thus supporting a safer high alpine and sustainable mountaineering.