The Remote Sensing–Earth Surface Processes group at the University of Potsdam investigates the physical, climatic, and environmental forces that shape Earth’s surface. Our research spans a wide range of spatial and temporal scales — from monitoring sub-annual, sub-centimeter ground deformation using Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), to studying continental-scale topographic evolution over decades with satellite climate data and digital elevation models, to reconstructing millennial-scale erosion and sediment transport using cosmogenic radionuclides (CRN).
We integrate a broad spectrum of datasets, including space-based optical, multispectral, synthetic aperture radar, and passive microwave imagery; point-cloud data from ground-based and airborne LiDAR and structure-from-motion (SfM); and field measurements collected from diverse landscapes across the globe.
Our research is driven by data-intensive, quantitative methods that harness the rapidly expanding array of Earth observation datasets. Recent studies from our group have explored topics such as error propagation in high-resolution topographic data, extreme hydro-meteorological event analysis, long-term snow trend monitoring, and natural hazard damage detection.
Alongside our computational resources and computational clusters, the group operates a dedicated clean laboratory for the extraction of cosmogenic radionuclides (e.g., Be-10 and Al-26 in quartz). These isotopes are key to quantifying surface transport rates and precisely dating landscape exposure. Over the years, our researchers have applied CRN methods — including terrestrial and meteoric Be-10, He-3, Cl-36, and Al-26 — to understand how processes such as monsoon dynamics and glacial cycles influence the formation and evolution of mountain ranges.
Our team is diverse and international, bringing together PhD students and scientists from a variety of countries and disciplines, including network physics, meteorology, and tectonic geomorphology. We actively welcome collaborations — both within the geosciences and across related fields — aimed at advancing our understanding of the dynamic Earth system.