Remote Sensing of Permafrost Regions - Einzelansicht

In this module, we will focus on remote sensing of terrestrial regions of the Arctic that are not glaciated but affected by permafrost - about one quarter of the northern hemisphere landmass is part of the permafrost zone and thus a huge diversity of landforms, land cover, processes, and dynamics are encountered that are partially or fully driven by freezing and thawing processes on various spatial and temporal scales. These regions are vast, far away, logistically challenging, and data-sparse. Remote sensing therefore provides important tools to better understand how permafrost regions change in a rapdily warming Arctic and what the local to global feedbacks are.

In this module, you will learn about Arctic Climate Change, the Cryosphere, and Permafrost in particular. Topics will include permafrost region land cover change, disturbances, and trends; Permafrost terrain and landforms; Thaw subsidence and frost heave; Permafrost coastal dynamics; and Thermokarst lake dynamics. You will learn how to use remote sensing data and techniques for characterizing and quantifying landscape dynamics in a rapidly changing Arctic. We will cover high resolution airborne data, high and medium resolution satellite imagery, LiDAR, Big Data and Machine Learning approaches with Google Earth Engine, and an overview into various remote sensing data processing and analysis methods. The remote sensing methods covered in this module can be applied also to other regions on Earth.

You also will work on a specific semester project in a two-student team and work on milestones throughout the semester. The project topic will be selected by you at the beginning of the module and an oral presentation on the project outcome will conclude the project at the semester end.

The module will rely on research papers on remote sensing of permafrost regions. Detailed literature lists will be provided through Moodle. Here are some general literature examples on the topic:

Permafrost: French, H. M. (2007) The Periglacial Environment, 3rd Edition, Wiley, ISBN: 978-0-470-86588-0, 478 pp.

Remote Sensing of Permafrost Regions: Jorgenson MT, Grosse G (2016): Remote Sensing of Landscape Change in Permafrost Regions. Permafrost and Periglacial Processes, 27(4): 324-338. doi: 10.1002/ppp.1914.

Remote Sensing of Permafrost Regions: Westermann S, Duguay C, Grosse G, Kääb A (2015): Remote sensing of permafrost and frozen ground. In: Tedesco M (ed.): Remote sensing of the Cryosphere, pp. 307-344. Hoboken, NJ, Wiley Blackwell, 408 p., doi: 10.1002/9781118368909.ch13.

Seminars/Exercises will have a strong focus on Google Earth Engine and GIS Desktop systems. You will need to establish a free Google Earth Engine User Account. You will need to install QGIS on your computer. For one of the seminars on remote sensing of permafrost coastal erosion you will need to install the Digital Shoreline Analysis System (DSAS) on your computer.

We wil cover the following topics:

Introduction to Climate Change, Arctic Cryosphere, and Permafrost; Introduction to Remote Sensing of Permafrost Regions; Permafrost Landscapes and Dynamics; Permafrost Terrain and Landform Characterization; Permafrost Region Land Cover and Vegetation; Time Series Analysis and Change Detection; Big Data and Machine Learning in Remote Sensing; Big Data and Deep Learning in Remote Sensing; Remote Sensing of High Latitude Lakes and Lake Change; Aquatic remote sensing; Close-range remote sensing; Observing Permafrost Coastal Dynamics; Advanced remote sensing methods for permafrost; Repetitorium / Q&A;  Presentation of remote sensing semester project results; Written Exam

The module targets remote sensing enthusiasts with an interest in Polar Regions. Ideally, you like to play with diverse remote sensing datasets and are interested in testing and learning new methods. You should enjoy working with Earth Observation imagery as well as bits and bytes. You should already be aware of the importance of climate change in the Arctic. Overall, the remote sensing methods covered in the module are also applicable also in other regions.