FROST.INI 2026 Field Season Successfully Underway

First fieldwork at the Adlersruhe: borehole measurements, geoelectrics, and new monitoring sites

The FROST.INI 2026 field season began in late June: on 25 June, colleagues from GEORESEARCH, Land Salzburg, and OGS (Trieste, Italy) met at the Adlersruhe (3,450 m) to carry out initial fieldwork and prepare for the work planned over the summer. The Interreg VI-A project FROST.INI investigates permafrost in the summit area using a combination of borehole measurements, geoelectrics, and geotechnical monitoring.

Permafrost boreholes: a stable data series since October

Temperature data were read out at the two boreholes located north and south of the Erzherzog-Johann-Hütte. Measurements have been running continuously since October 2025: at a depth of 20 m, the north borehole shows a constant temperature of -3.2 °C, and the south borehole -2.3 °C (see figure). A switch to real-time data transmission is planned for later this year.

Tiltmeters for the hut and cable car installations

In addition to the temperature measurements, the installation of high-precision, continuously recording tiltmeters is planned – at the foundations of the hut, the cable car's upper station, and the cable car support tower on the Blaukogel. These will record changes in inclination, making it possible to detect potential ground movement at an early stage.

Gateway for centralized data transmission

Together with the hut manager, a site for a gateway was determined. Going forward, this will collect all monitoring data – borehole temperatures and tilt values – and transmit it hourly via mobile network to a data server. This will enable real-time access to the entire monitoring system at the Adlersruhe.

Geoelectrics: a look beneath the surface

On 25 June, the OGS team carried out initial geoelectrical test measurements in the area around the hut. This non-invasive method measures the electrical resistivity of the subsurface: high resistivity values indicate permafrost, while low values point to unfrozen ground. A comprehensive measurement campaign is planned for the last week of July, which is expected to produce a 3D tomography of the thermal subsurface conditions around the hut.

Outlook: temperature sensors in August

In August, miniature temperature sensors are to be installed below the summit – on the north and south sides respectively – to record near-surface rock temperature. The installation sites were already inspected and determined on 25 June. An ORF camera team will accompany the work in August.