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Project properties |
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| Title | Remote sensing of vegetation succession in an Arctic tundra ecosystem |
| Group | Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation Group |
| Project type | thesis |
| Credits | 24-39 |
| Supervisor(s) | Runa Magnusson and Monique Heijmans |
| Examiner(s) | Monique Heijmans |
| Contact info | monique.heijmans@wur.nl |
| Begin date | 2019/09/01 |
| End date | 2020/12/31 |
| Description | Arctic tundra ecosystems are subject to accelerated global warming, with warming rates twice as fast as the global average. This may trigger thawing of permafrost and release of permafrost carbon reserves. Vegetation development in response to warming is a key control on the fate of permafrost carbon. Abrupt permafrost thaw can cause permafrost collapse and result in waterlogged, local depressions (thaw ponds) which emit methane. Expansions of woody shrubs however can promote recovery of permafrost and change these thaw ponds into methane sinks. You will make use of very high resolution satellite imagery and GIS to assess vegetation change and thaw pond development over time in a lowland tundra ecosystem underlain by ice-rich permafrost. |
| Used skills | GIS, remote sensing, land cover change analysis |
| Requirements | Experience with GIS and remote sensing, e.g. ArcGIS, ERDAS, QGIS |