Research Group Bartsch

Research Topic

Land Surface Remote Sensing

Research Interest

Permafrost is an essential climate variable. It is a subsurface phenomenon, which cannot be directly measured with remotely sensed data. However, many parameters, which influence the ground thermal regime and surface indicators, can be captured with satellite data. We focus on changes of landscape hydrology and their impact in the Arctic. This includes monitoring of thaw lakes, snow conditions and surface moisture with satellite data.

Team

Helena Bergstedt (MSc), PhD student (FWF Doctoral college GIScience, University of Salzburg)
Elin Högström (MSc), PhD student (Vienna University of Technology)
Remote sensing of land surface hydrology (EU FP7 + INTERACT)
Christine Kroisleitner (MSc), b.geos (ESA CCI+ Permafrost)
Georg Pointner (MSc), PhD student (b.geos, University of Salzburg), Remote sensing of land surface hydrology (HORIZON2020 Nunataryuk)
Barbara Widhalm (DI), PhD student (Vienna University of Technology, Zentralanstalt für Meteorologie und Geodynamik) Remote sensing of landsurface hydrology (FWF + ESA GlobPermafrost)

Selected Publications

Chen, X., Liu, L., Bartsch, A. (2019) Detecting soil freeze/thaw onsets in Alaska using SMAP and ASCAT data. Remote Sensing of Environment 220, 59-70. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2018.10.010
Bartsch, A., Pointer, G., Forbes, B., Kumpula, T. (2018) The role of lake size and local phenomena for monitoring ground-fast lake ice. International Journal of Remote Sensing. DOI: 10.1080/01431161.2018.1519281
Kroisleitner, C., Bartsch, A., Bergstedt, H. (2018) Circumpolar patterns of potential mean annual ground temperature based on surface state obtained from microwave satellite data. The Cryosphere 12, 2349-2370. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-2349-2018
Högström, E., Heim, B., Bartsch, A., Pointner, G. (2018) Evaluation of a MetOp ASCAT‐Derived Surface Soil Moisture Product in Tundra Environments. JGR Earth Surface 123(12), 3190-3205. https://doi.org/10.1029/2018JF004658
Dvornikov, Y., Leibman, M., Heim, B., Barstch, A. et al. (2018) Terrestrial CDOM in Lakes of Yamal Peninsula: Connection to Lake and Lake Catchment Properties. Remote Sensing 10(2), 167. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs10020167
Bergstedt, H., Zwieback, S., Bartsch, A., Leibman, M. (2018) Dependence of C-Band Backscatter on Ground Temperature, Air Temperature and Snow Depth in Arctic Permafrost Regions. Remote Sensing 10(1), 142. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs10010142
Bartsch, A., Pointer, G., Leibman, M.O., Dvornikov, Y., Khomutov, A., Trofaier, A.M. (2017) Circumpolar mapping of ground-fast lake ice. Frontiers in Earth Science 5. doi:10.3389/feart.2017.00012
Bartsch, A., Höfler, A., Kroisleitner, C., Trofaier, A.M. (2016) Land Cover Mapping in Northern High Latitude Permafrost Regions with Satellite Data: Achievements and Remaining Challenges. Remote Sens. 8, 979. doi:10.3390/rs8120979
Bartsch, A., Widhalm, B., Kuhry, P., Hugelius, G., Palmtag, J., and Siewert, M. B. (2016) Can C-band synthetic aperture radar be used to estimate soil organic carbon storage in tundra? Biogeosciences 13, 5453-5470, doi:10.5194/bg-13-5453-2016
Zwieback, S., Liu, X., Antonova, S., Heim, B., Bartsch, A., Boike, J., Hajnsek, I. (2016) A Statistical Test of Phase Closure to Detect Influences on DInSAR Deformation Estimates Besides Displacements and Decorrelation Noise: Two Case Studies in High-Latitude Regions. IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing, DOI:10.1109/TGRS.2016.2569435.
Dvornikov, Y., Leibmann, M., Heim, B., Bartsch, A., Haas, A., Khomutov, A., Gubarkov, A., Mikhaylova, M., Mullanurov, D., Widhalm, B., Skorospekhova, T., Fedorova, I. (2016) Geodatabase and WebGIS project for long-term permafrost monitoring at the Vaskiny Dachi research station, Yamal, Russia. Polarforschung 85(2). DOI:10.2312/polfor.2016.007
Widhalm, B.; Bartsch, A.; Heim, B. (2015) A novel approach for the characterization of tundra wetland regions with C-band SAR satellite data. Int. J. Remote Sens. 36, 5537–5556. doi: 10.1080/01431161.2015.1101505
Bartsch, A., Kumpula, T., Forbes, B., Stammler, F. (2010) Detection of snow surface thawing and refreezing in the Eurasian Arctic using QuikSCAT: implications for reindeer herding. Ecological Applications 20(8): 2346-2358. DOI: 10.1890/09-1927
Bartsch, A., Trofaier, A., Hayman, G., Sabel, D., Schlaffer, S., Clark D. & E. Blyth (2012) Detection of open water dynamics with ENVISAT ASAR in support of land surface modelling at high latitudes; Biogeosciences, 9, 703-714. DOI:10.5194/bg-9-703-2012.
Wilson, R.R., Bartsch A, Joly, K., Reynolds, J.H., Orlando, A., Loya, W.M. (2013) Frequency, timing, extent, and size of winter thaw-refreeze events in Alaska 2001–2008 detected by remotely sensed microwave backscatter data. Polar Biology, DOI 10.1007/s00300-012-1272-6

Projects

CCI Permafrost – a service for Permafrost monitoring (ESA CCI+ program)
NUNATARYUK – Permafrost thaw and the changing Arctic coast, science for socioeconomic adaptation, PI
GlobPermafrost – a service for Permafrost monitoring (ESA DUE program)
PAGE21 – Changing Permafrost in the Arctic and its global effects in the 21st century
EU FP7, Coordinator: Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research
Data User Element Permafrost
European Space Agency, Coordinator: Vienna University of Technology
Support to Science Element ALANIS-Methane
European Space Agency, Coordinator: Centre of Ecology and Hydrology, UK
COLD Yamal – Combining remote sensing and field studies for assessment of Landform Dynamics and permafrost state on Yamal
Austrian Science Fund, Joint Russian-Austrian project (University of Salzburg, Vienna University of Technology, Earth Cryosphere Institute)