Remote Sensing Group at the Permafrost Lab
- Guido Grosse, Research Assistant Professor
- Reginald Muskett, Postdoctoral Researcher
- Benjamin Jones, PhD student
- Prajna Regmi, PhD student
- Meghan Tillapaugh, MS student
Research Group Remote Sensing of Permafrost Landscapes
Remote sensing is key to detection, monitoring, and understanding spatial processes of permafrost change in remote high latitude regions. We recently embedded a research group in the Permafrost Laboratory focusing strongly on the remote sensing of environmental dynamics in permafrost landscapes. We are engaged in the Panarctic, but our current focus regions are Alaska and North Siberia. We are working with optical imagery on various scales from aerial imagery to MODIS data, LIDAR, IfSAR, GRACE, and via external collaborations started working with SAR data (TSX, ERS-2, PALSAR). Field work and ground truth in remote Arctic regions and under sometimes extreme environmental conditions (winter cold, snow storms, summer heat, mosquitoes...) are a crucial component of our remote sensing studies. Our work is closely coupled with the modeling efforts by Profs. V. Romanovsky and S. Marchenko, and Postdoctoral Fellow R. Daanen. Several additional projects by lab members include remote sensing analyses on the sidelines. Research Technician B. Cable supports many technical aspects of our group. Together we are working on a still virtual project 'Permafrost Watch' in which we try to incorporate remote sensing, ground data and modeling on an operational basis for distinct real-world applications.
Our group is continuously looking for undergraduate and graduate students with interest in permafrost, cryospheric change, Arctic climate impacts, modeling, and remote sensing / GIS applications. Exciting research themes are just waiting to be tackled at this new and rapidly growing frontier of Earth's cryosphere sciences.
Current projects
- NASA Carbon Cycle Sciences: Assessing the spatial and temporal dynamics of thermokarst, methane emissions, and related carbon cycling in Siberia and Alaska
- NSF Office of Polar Programs: IPY: Understanding the Impacts of Icy Permafrost Degradation and Thermokarst-Lake Dynamics in the Arctic on Carbon Cycling, CO2 and CH4 emissions, and Feedbacks to Climate Change
- US FWS: Thermokarst lake drainage - Vulnerability to climate change and prediction of future habitatdistribution on the North Slope
- ESA: Approved user in the Data User Element Permafrost
- SPOT Planet Action: Detecting thermokarst lake change in Siberia using SPOT imagery
- ESA IPY: Remote Sensing Baseline for Long-term Monitoring of the Arctic Circumpolar Coastal Observatory Network (ACCO-Net)
- UAF IPY: Climate induced permafrost degradation in the Arctic (CIPEDIA)
- DLR: Testing high-resolution Terra-SAR-X data to assess greenhouse gas emissions of thermokarst lakes in the Arctic – A contribution to understanding arctic carbon dynamics during the IPY
- ESA:Characterizing Lena Delta Morphology using ALOS satellite data (LEDAM)
- ASF:Investigation of Arctic permafrost degradation using ALOS satellite data (IAPED)
- GRACE:GRACE-Derived Groundwater Storage Changes of the Arctic Permafrost Watersheds
Permafrost Watch is a still virtual project that aims at combining remote sensing and field data streams with modeling of permafrost to operationally measure, monitor and predict physical permafrost parameters for distinct target regions relevant to decision makers in government and industry.
Equipment and Facilities
Hardware
- LEICA VIVA RTK Differential GPS
- LEICA Total Station TS02
- Panasonic Toughbook
- Modified SIPRE Permafrost Drill Kit
- Various permafrost sampling gear
- Freezer storage and cold room laboratory
- Hobo Data Logger Launcher
- GARMIN hand held GPS
- TRIMBLE GeoExplorer XT GPS
- Time lapse cameras for long-term process monitoring
- Soil gas sampling probe
- Tree ring corer
- Several dedicated remote sensing and GIS workstations
- Shared and RAID-secured server space with 5.45 TB and 15 TB
- PLUSTEK OpticFilm 7500i slide scanner
- HP Scanjet 8300 Scanner
- Color and B/W Laser Printer
- Access to large-format plotters via the GI Design Center
Software
- ArcGIS 9.3 and 10 (including all extensions)
- ArcGIS Feature Analyst
- ENVI 4.8 single node + network floating licenses
- ENVI DEM Extraction Module
- ENVI FLAASH Atmospheric Correction Module
- ECognition Developer 4.68
- ERDAS Imagine
- Leica Geo Office
- ATCOR 2/3 Atmospheric Correction Software
- BEAM 4.5.1
- ASD Viewspec Pro
- MODIS Reprojection Tool
- MATLAB 7.6.0
- Strater
- Grapher 7
- Corel Draw X4
- Adobe Photoshop
- Endnote X2
- Standard Office Packages (MS Office, Open Office)
Other relevant resources available at UAF
GINA is a distributed data system for geospatial information, GINA maintains an enterprise-level geographic information system (GIS) with online archiving, internet mapping, and metadata services. GINA offers training and assistance in satellite image processing, GIS, and visualization. GINA provides custom processing, server-side analysis, and visualization tools. GINA unites and extends UA’s GIS and remote sensing activities through the use of internationally adopted standards and a shared web portal.
The Alaska Satellite Facility (ASF) of the Geophysical Institute (GI) at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, downlinks, archives, and distributes satellite data. ASF is comprised of a Satellite Tracking Ground Station(STGS) as part of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Ground Network system, the Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) Data Center in support of NASA’s Earth Science Data and Information System (ESDIS) project, and the Americas ALOS Data Node (AADN) established by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) in agreement with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). In addition, ASF manages the GI’s GeoData Center and Map Office.
ARSC computational systems and resources include a wide range of high performance computing, storage and visualization technology.
Recent Publications
- Parsekian AD, Jones BM, Jones MC, Grosse G, Walter Anthony KM, Slater L (in press, 2011): Geometry of floating vegetation mats on the expanding margins of thermokarst lakes, northern Seward Peninsula, Alaska, USA. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms. doi:10.1002/esp.2210
- Jones BM, Grosse G, Hinkel KM, Arp CD, Walker S, Beck RA, Galloway JP (in press, 2011): Assessment of pingo distribution and morphometry using an IfSAR derived DSM, western Arctic Coastal Plain, northern Alaska. Geomorphology. doi:10.1016/j.geomorph.2011.08.007
- Jones B, Grosse G, Arp CD, Jones MC, Walter Anthony KM, Romanovsky VE (in press, 2011): Modern thermokarst lake dynamics in the continuous permafrost zone, northern Seward Peninsula, Alaska. Journal of Geophysical Research – Biogeosciences. doi:10.1029/2010JG001507
- Muskett R.R., Romanovsky V.E. Alaskan Permafrost Groundwater Storage Changes Derived from GRACE and Ground Measurements. Remote Sensing. 2011; 3(2):378-397.
- Panda, S. K., Prakash, A., Solie, D. N., Romanovsky, V. E. and Jorgenson, M. T. (2010), Remote sensing and field-based mapping of permafrost distribution along the Alaska Highway corridor, interior Alaska. Permafrost and Periglacial Processes, 21: 271–281. doi: 10.1002/ppp.686
- Arp, C. D., Jones, B. M., Urban, F. E. and Grosse, G. (2011), Hydrogeomorphic processes of thermokarst lakes with grounded-ice and floating-ice regimes on the Arctic coastal plain, Alaska. Hydrological Processes, 25(15), 2422-2438.
- Grosse G, Jones B (2011): Spatial distribution of pingos in northern Asia. The Cryosphere, 5, 13-33.
- Morgenstern A, Grosse G, Guenther F, Schirrmeister L (in review, 2011): Thermokarst lakes and basins in Yedoma landscapes of the third Lena Delta terrace. The Cryosphere Discussions, 5, 1495-1545. doi: 10.5194/tcd-5-1495-2011
- Herzschuh U, Birks HJB, Ni J, Zhao Y, Liu H, Liu X, Grosse G (2010): Holocene landcover changes on the Tibetan Plateau. The Holocene, 20(1): 91-104.
- Jones BM, Arp C, Webster J, Beck RA, Grosse G, Urban FE (2009): Erosional history of Cape Halkett, Beaufort Sea coast, Alaska and contemporary monitoring of bluff retreat. Polar Geography, 32 (3-4): 129-142.
Ulrich M, Grosse G, Schirrmeister L, Chabrillat S (2009): Spectral characterization of periglacial surfaces and geomorphological units in the Arctic Lena Delta using field spectrometry and remote sensing.Remote Sensing of Environment, 113: 1220-1235.
- Schneider J, Grosse G, Wagner D (2009): Land cover classification of tundra environments in the Arctic Lena Delta based on Landsat 7 ETM+ data and its application for upscaling of methane emissions. Remote Sensing of Environment, 113: 380-391.
- Edwards M, Walter K, Grosse G, Plug L, Slater L, Valdes P (2009): Arctic thermokarst lakes and the carbon cycle. PAGES News, 17(1): 16-18.
- Muskett, R.R., and V.E. Romanovsky (2009): Groundwater storage changes in arctic permafrost watersheds from GRACE and in situ measurements. Environ. Res. Lett., 4.
- Muskett, R.R., C.S. Lingle, J.M. Sauber, A. S. Post, W. V. Tangborn, B. T. Rabus, and K.A. Echelmeyer (2009): Airborne-Spaceborne DEM- and Laser Altimetry-Derived Surface Elevation and Volume Changes of the Bering Glacier System, 1972 through 2006. J. Glaciol., 55, 190, 316-326.
- Grosse G, Romanovsky V, Walter K, Morgenstern A, Lantuit H, Zimov S (2008): Distribution of Thermokarst Lakes and Ponds at Three Yedoma Sites in Siberia. In: 'Ninth International Conference on Permafrost', Kane DL & Hinkel KM (eds), Institute of Northern Engineering, University of Alaska Fairbanks, pp. 551-556.
- Muskett, R.R., C.S. Lingle, J.M. Sauber, B.T. Rabus, and W.V. Tangborn (2008): Acceleration of Surface Lowering on the Tidewater Glaciers of Icy Bay, Alaska, U.S.A., from InSAR DEMs and ICESat Altimetry. Earth and Planetary Sci. Lett., 265, 345-359, doi: 10.1016/j.epsl.2007.10.012.
- Morgenstern A, Hauber E, Reiss D, van Gasselt S, Grosse G, Schirrmeister L (2007): Deposition and degradation of a volatile-rich layer in Utopia Planitia, and implications for climate history on Mars. Journal of Geophysical Research - Planets 112, E06010. (pdf 0.7 MB)
- Atwood, D.K., R.M. Guritz, R.R. Muskett, C.S. Lingle, J.M. Sauber, and J.T. Freymueller (2007): DEM Control in Arctic Alaska with ICESat Laser Altimetry. IEEE Trans. Geosci. and Remote Sensing, 45 (11), 3710-3720.
- Grosse G, Schirrmeister L, Malthus TJ (2006): Application of Landsat-7 satellite data and a DEM for the quantification of thermokarst-affected terrain types in the periglacial Lena-Anabar coastal lowland, Polar Research, 25(1): 51-67. (pdf 0.9 MB)
- Grosse G, Schirrmeister L, Kunitsky VV, Hubberten H-W (2005): The use of CORONA images in remote sensing of periglacial geomorphology: An illustration from the NE-Siberian coast. Permafrost and Periglacial Processes 16: 163-172. (pdf 6.8 MB)
- Sauber, J., B. Molnia, C. Carabajal, S. Luthcke, and R. Muskett (2005): Ice elevation and surface change on the Malapina Glacier, Alaska. Geophys. Res. Lett., 32, L23S01.
Links
- Task Force of the International Permafrost Association (IPA) on Remote Sensing of Permafrost (Co-Chaired by G.Grosse)
