HydroLab is a research laboratory at the University of Udine - Department of Agricultural, Food, Environmental and Animal (DI4A) that studies the effects of climate change on water resources and glacier dynamics, with a particular focus on hydrological and morphological processes in torrents, such as erosion, sediment transport and sediment connectivity. The laboratory uses automatic or semi-automatic monitoring stations designed and built in-house, installed in some study catchments in the Carnic Alps and the Julian Alps. The most advanced techniques of photogrammetry and drone-based LiDAR are used to carry out multi-temporal topographic surveys of the landscape at very high resolution, which are then utilised with GIS techniques both for analysing sediment dynamics in river channels and for calculating the mass balances of glacial bodies. The application of these techniques in a highly complex orographic context, such as that of Alpine basins and glaciers, remains a challenge requiring advanced technology and a high level of expertise, making HydroLab a leading international reference in the field.

About us