RESPONSE

RESPONSE is a virtual research group on remote sensing and permafrost at the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research, AWI. Embedded in the periglacial research group at AWI Potsdam, its main focus is the study of permafrost environments using remote sensing and geospatial tools.

RESPONSE brings together researchers focusing on periglacial morphodynamics, and biogeo-physical variables (surface waters, moisture regimes, vegetation parameters, freezing and thawing of surface and lake ice, water colour). Remote sensing is therefore used by a wide range of researchers at the AWI with a series of applications encompassing most spatially and spectrally available remote sensing data:

•  from the highest spatial resolution possible: VISIBLE-NIR-THERMAL acquisitions on masts and unmanned imaging platforms (zeppelins, kites, drones) in the SPARC project to investigate the status of permafrost landscapes (e.g., the true water body ratio) and the upscaling
• to high-spatial resolution optical imagery (historical: CORONA; current: GeoEye, QuickBird, ALOS PRISM, Rapid Eye) to morphologically map permafrost landscapes (surface waters, polygons, thermokarst basins and valleys) and decipher permafrost degradation and coastal erosion. The stereo-capabilities are used to calculate 3-D changes of the permafrost landscape.
• and high to medium spatial resolution spaceborne radar data from Polar Bear Pass (CA) and the Lena River Delta (Siberia, RU) that have been only made possible by the international Space Agencies due to applications from the AWI and associated partners (GAMMA Remote Sensing, CH,). The potential of SAR data (TerraSAR-X) for high-resolution land-water classification, frozen/thawed surface status, snow melt, dry and wet ground.
• up to coarse-scale but temporally high resolution remote sensing data: thermal data (MODIS), super-spectral optical data (MERIS, MODIS) and active microwave data. The permafrost-specific remote sensing products of the ESA DUE Permafrost project are evaluated and tested.
• up to experimental hyperspectral remote sensing applications: field spectroradiometry (ASD, GER spectrometry), ESA CHRIS PROBA, and a pre-launch hyperspectral EnMAP project with the development of the AWI spectro-goniometer Eyesight.

Study areas

The main study regions are at Siberia (Russia), Northwest Territories (Canada), and Alaska (USA) (see Expeditions). The research topics are embedded in the Helmholtz Research Programme "Polar regions and Coasts in a changing Earth System (PACES)".

Projects

Research Projects

• ACD/ACCONET
• COPER
• LEDAM
• ESA DUE Permafrost
• SPARC
• REKLIM
• PAGE21

PhD Projects

• Structures of permafrost degradation as indicators of environmental variations - morphometric analyses and process simulation (Anne Morgenstern)
• Permafrost landforms on Earth: Implications for periglacial landscape evolution on Mars (Mathias Ulrich)

Diploma, Master and Bachelor Projects

To be completed

Project Collaborations

• Permafrost Laboratory, Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska Fairbanks, UAF, (US), Guido Grosse (LEDAM)
• TU Vienna, GAMMA, U Waterloo, Jena (ESA DUE Permafrost)
• GFZ, Humboldt University, DLR, TU Munich (EnMAP)
• HZG Burkhardt Rockel, Katharina Klehmet Climate Modeling, Lena Catchment (REKLIM)
• AWI Annette Rinke + Heidrun Matthes, Climate modelling (REKLIM)

Group Members

• Buchhorn, Marcel, PhD student (AWI and Potsdam University)
• Elger Kirsten, Post doc (AWI, ESA DUE Permafrost)
• Gerlach Patrick, diploma student (AWI and Potsdam University)
• Grau Thomas, ? student (AWI and Potsdam University)
• Günther Frank PhD student (AWI and Potsdam University, ACD/ACCONET)
• Heim, Birgit, Senior Researcher (AWI REKLIM, ESA DUE Permafrost)
• Lantuit Hugues Senior Researcher, IPA Secretary (AWI, HGF..., ACD/ACCONET)
• Morgenstern, Anne, PhD student (AWI and Potsdam University)
• Muster, Sina, PhD student (AWI and Heidelberg University, SPARC)
• Overduin Paul, Senior Researcher (AWI, ACD/ACCONET)
• Rico Arcos David, diploma student (AWI and Potsdam University, ACD/ACCONET)
• Sobiech Jennifer, PhD student (AWI Bremerhaven and AWI Potsdam, University of Muenster)
• Ulrich, Mathias, Postdoc (AWI and Leipzig University)

Former Group Members

• Grosse, Dr. Guido (Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska Fairbanks)
• Feldman, David (Year, Lake Change, Yakutia)
• Gerstmann, Henning (Year, Land Cover Change, Yakutia)
• Lanners, Thomas (Year, Laptev Sea GIS, Bathymetry)
• Seiffert (Year, Lena Delta 3-D Print, DEM Lena Catchment)