Morphological characterization of the cold-air pools of Abruzzo Region (Central Italy) and proposal for the creation of morphoclimatic sites

Since the ‘90s, some climatologists and geomorphologists have focused attention on distinct areas characterized by extremely low temperatures, currently known as “cold-air pools.” They were recorded in specific synoptic conditions within karst plateaus, punctuated by sinkholes and other topographic depressions. Here, the interaction of climatic and morphologic features favors a strong nightly irradiance, especially when the ground is covered by snow, with considerable repercussions on the evolution of these morphoclimatic environments. Several new thermal gauges have been installed, sheltered from direct sun radiation, within the main European mountain ranges, particularly from the Pyrenees to the Alps, Apennines and Dinaric Alps, recording low temperatures comparable to those typical of high latitudes. In Central Apennines (Italy), within the main massifs of the Abruzzo Region, there are few monitored poljes (located at altitudes ranging between 1200 and 1600 m a.s.l.) characterized by these climatic conditions. During the winter advection of continental polar air, temperatures drop below -30°C. More in detail, at the Piani di Pezza (1460 m a.s.l.), the lowest official temperature in peninsular Italy was recorded on 15 February 2012, with a value of -37.4°C.

Nevertheless, it would be of fundamental importance to quantitatively define the morphological features at different spatial scales that allow these extreme thermal conditions recorded in the Abruzzo Region pools by comparison with other Apenninic or Alpine sites with similar morphological and climatic characteristics during well-defined synoptic situations. It would be desirable to propose these places as "morphoclimatic sites" since they increase the interest of tourists and meteophiles, as well as it currently happens with geosites and geomorphosites. A further purpose of this research is to contribute to the morphological characterization of the cold-air pools and confirm or refute the recent thermal trends calculated in the flat and hilly areas of Central Apennine as part of the studies aimed at a better understanding of climate change.