Research

HyPerm

In the HyPerm project we investigate the spatial distribution, geomorphological characteristics and hydrological significance of Andean permafrost in the Agua Negra catchment (Province San Juan, semiarid Andes of Argentina).

We hypothesize that a significant part of the (seasonally) thawing active layer of periglacial landforms contributes to the overall discharge and groundwater recharge. Our findings will significantly improve our knowledge regarding the occurrence and hydrological importance of permafrost in the semiarid Andes.

EUMA- Project

Heat waves and devastating forest fires in Europe and other parts of the world forcefully remind us of the dramatic effects of climate change. They demonstrate that disasters can reach a magnitude to which individual countries can no longer respond adequately and require international assistance. The postgraduate Master's program "Master of Disaster Management and Risk Governance" at the University of Bonn is part of a European consortium aiming to strengthen a network of postgraduate programs in the field of disaster risk and crisis management. The project is funded by the European Commission and will start in January 2024 with a duration of two years.

EifelfloodS

The severe flooding caused by extreme rainfall in mid July 2021 in several catchments in the Eifel region of western Germany not only caused rapidly rising water levels and violently flowing streams, it also mobilised huge amounts of woody vegetation, sediments and debris. This often led to blockages (clogging of rivers by the entrained material) and thus to non-linear flow dynamics, incision of slopes, lateral and deep erosion down to their headwater streams. Massive gravitational mass movements such as landslides and debris flows also occurred. 

To make better forecasts in the future with the help of a robust database and to effectively understand the development of recent events and damage processes, there is an urgent need for high-resolution remote sensing data and field work in the affected regions. 

ArcDune

In the ArcDune project we map aeolian sand dunes in Northern Sweden, Norway and Finland (part of Sápmi) by developing a systematic, semi-automatic mapping approach (GEOBIA), interpret the dunes’ distribution and orientation in their geomorphological setting, apply radiocarbon dating and luminescence dating techniques to constrain the timing of dune stabilization and reworking, and combine the mapping interpretation with geochronological data.

The project is carried out in in cooperation with Daniel Hölbling (Paris Lodron University Salzburg) and Thomas Stevens (Uppsala University) with the overall aim to constrain landscape evolution and climate forcing in the European Arctic.

COVIDemX3

The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed gaps in our health systems worldwide and people living with dementia are amongst the most vulnerable in this emergency situation, but the pandemic has also spurred a lot of care and research innovations. Therefore, we want to take this opportunity to learn both from failures and from innovations by exploring why some countries are doing better than others and what we can learn from each other to increase health system resilience. This international collaboration addresses disaster-preparedness and disaster-resilience of health care systems and use the translational potential of cross-country learning to improve resilience of health care systems and responsiveness to the needs of people living with dementia and their families in times of crises and beyond.

Differential GPS: Trimble R8s/R2 & Leica CS25

Hardware:

• Trimble R8s and R2 antennas with equipment
• Leica CS25 tablet with equipment

Method:

Differential global positioning systems use a correction method to enhance absolute/relative positioning in the field. Our equipment can be used in two different ways: 1) In a base and rover setting where the base station is placed at a fixed (known) location. From the known coordinates and the GPS signal received, a correction for the rover is calculated, achieving a positioning accuracy of several cm.
2) Signals of commercially available fixed stations are used for real time correction of GPS data. In this setting, only one antenna (rover) is used (R8s or Leica CS25) and receives the correction signals from the mobile network.

Ground-Penetrating Radar (GPR)

Hardware:

• GSSI SIR4000
• 200 MHz-Antenna (shielded)

Software:

• Radan 7
• ReflexW
• SeisImager/2D

Method:

Ground-penetrating radar is a technique that uses high-frequency electromagnetic waves to acquire information on subsurface composition. The electromagnetic pulse is emitted from a transmitter antenna and propagates through the subsurface at a velocity determined by the dielectric properties of the subsurface materials. The pulse is reflected by inhomogeneities and layer boundaries and is received by a second antenna after a measured travel time (Schrott & Sass 2008).

Drilling

Method:

Percussion coring is a widely used method for shallow subsurface investigations in geomorphological field research. It enables the stratigraphic recording and interpretation of unconsolidated and solid rock sequences and, depending on the nature of the subsurface, allows for the reconstruction of landscape evolution through relative age dating of samples (e.g. 14C, OSL). It is further used for point validation of the indirect geophysical surveying.

Drilling is done with a petrol engine and a pneumatic ram probe (10 and 30 kg). A hydraulic lifting unit with a petrol engine is used for extraction of the sediment tubes.