SPARC focuses on perennial high-mountain snow patches (PSPs) as long-term hosts for hunting environments. The project will address three important and interrelated environmental challenges related to on-going developments in these high-mountain cultural e nvironments, both internationally and in Norway, in particular. In certain regions PSPs contain important prehistoric artefacts, ecofacts and sites. The low-temperature conditions associated with these sites make for excellent preservation of organic rema ins, sometimes surviving inside the ice for thousands of years. In recent years, PSPs have been receding, thus subjecting archaeological sites and fragile finds containing important and generally unknown cultural historical and indirect climate informatio n to exposure and deterioration. Firstly, there is the challenge of securing information related to the PSP heritage environments and uncovering their cultural historical significance; secondly, to investigate PSPs and their development as a natural syste ms in order to be able to predict future challenges regarding heritage preservation; and thirdly, to underpin heritage management, organization and dissemination. Through integrated modeling, SPARC aims to develop an inter-disciplinary methodology to cont ribute new research-based knowledge and monitoring to effectively address the complex, inter-related and multidimensional challenges posed. In order to strengthen the Norwegian research base, SPARC brings together key research environments within the fiel d of glacial archaeology to establish a critical mass and a focal point for research exchange between regions of the world where such environments are recognized.