Quantifying Arctic permafrost evolution with radar remote sensing and satellite geodesy

Permafrost underlies 24% of the Northern Hemispheric landmass and contains 60% of global soil carbon. Arctic air temperatures are increasing at approximately twice the global rate, making Arctic permafrost one of the most vulnerable regions to a changing climate. In addition, the frequency and severity of Arctic wildfires are expected to increase throughout the 20th century, with 2020 currently considered the worst Arctic fire year in record. The interaction between and coevolution of permafrost thaw and Arctic wildfires can accelerate modification of Arctic ecosystems and surface hydrologic regimes, induce land-cover change, and ultimately drive the release of vast amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere through decomposition of bound soil carbon. In this talk, I will demonstrate the role that modern remote sensing techniques can play in quantifying coupled environmental processes that reshape Arctic permafrost regions. In particular, I will introduce interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR), a geodetic method that can measure deformation of the Earth’s surface with centimetric accuracy, and demonstrate how this tool can provide unique constraints on seasonal and interannual active layer dynamics, surface hydrology, and post-wildfire ecological succession processes. I will discuss several emerging InSAR techniques and complimentary remote sensing methods that can enable convergent, interdisciplinary science at the intersection of geospatial remote sensing, geodesy, environmental science, and hydrology. Many of these emerging methods rely upon the recent proliferation of dedicated spaceborne radar imaging platforms, airborne instruments, CubeSats, drones, and ground-based radars. This current ‘Golden Age’ of commercial, governmental, and academic remote sensing platforms is ushering in an era of unrivaled data richness and making possible the exploration of a variety of societally relevant geophysical and environmental processes at unprecedented spatial and temporal scales.

Please read more about Roger Michaelides and his research on his website.

Host: Jeff Catalano

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