The study site is located in the upper part of the valley, above the treeline (area 19 km², elevation > 2,000 m a.s.l.) where the glacier has retreated since the 1850s. Research activities have been carried out since 2011 in the Matsch valley (South Tyrol, Italian Alps). The Saldur river drains the valley with an elevation range between 900 m and 3,700 m a.s.l.. The main glacier hosted in the basin lies between 2,700 and 3,700 m a.s.l., with a current extent of 2.8 km2.
