Contribution of infrared thermography to the slope instability characterization

Infrared thermography (IRT), or thermal imaging, is a remote sensing technique capable of mapping the surface temperature pattern evolution, leading to the detection of thermal anomalies within the investigated object. In recent years IRT has undergone a significant increase of applications, thanks to the technological development of portable and cost-effective thermal imaging cameras, as well as the fast measurement and processing times of thermographic data. Nevertheless in the study of slope instability processes, apart from a few interesting experimental studies, IRT is still not widely applied. In this paper we present some applications of IRT, both terrestrial and airborne, in attempt to contribute to a rapid high resolution mapping and to the characterization of slopes affected by instability phenomena. In particular IRT was employed in an integrated approach with other remote sensing techniques, such as terrestrial and aerial laser scanner and photography, in order to detect criticalities in unstable slopes and evaluate the possible hazardous scenarios in emergency management. The potential of IRT for landslide mapping and characterization was explored in different types of critical landscapes (from terrigenous/detrital slopes to rock walls) analyzing the following characteristics: i) pattern of the structural discontinuities and open fractures in rock slopes affected by rock sliding; ii) ephemeral springs and creeks in detrital covers recently affected by debris flow detachment; iii) scarps, moisture and water stagnation areas within large earth flows.