At the Department of Remote Sensing at the University of Würzburg, Sebastian Buchelt focuses on understanding environmental dynamics in high-mountain regions. His research combines Earth observation, time-series analysis, and geomorphological analysis to investigate how alpine landscapes respond on seasonal to decadal timescales.
From EAGLE student to remote sensing researcher
Sebastian first joined the Earth observation community in Würzburg through the EAGLE M.Sc. Applied Earth Observation and Geoanalysis of the Living Environment program. During his master’s studies, he explored snowmelt dynamics in alpine environments combining satellite observations with images from in situ time lapse cameras, which he georeferenced using digital elevation data. This work sparked his interest in time-series analysis and the monitoring of dynamic mountain environments.
Following his master’s degree, Sebastian continued at the University of Würzburg as a PhD researcher in the Earth Observation Research Cluster. His doctoral research focuses on using satellite radar data to analyze environmental processes in alpine terrain.
Monitoring alpine dynamics with SAR satellites
A central component of Sebastian’s research is the analysis of time series from the Sentinel‑1 mission of the Copernicus program by the European Space Agency and the European Commission. The mission’s Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) sensor provides frequent, weather-independent observations of the Earth’s surface, making them particularly valuable in mountain regions where cloud cover often limits optical satellite imagery.
Using these datasets, Sebastian investigates surface dynamics related to permafrost, snow cover, and periglacial landforms such as rock glaciers. By analyzing multi-year SAR time series, he studies seasonal and interannual patterns in backscatter signals and interferometric coherence to better understand surface conditions and environmental change. His main work focusses on the detection of subtle surface movements using Differential SAR Interferometry. Such analyses help to monitor processes like the dynamics of rock glaciers or debris-covered ice bodies, for instance in the European Alps, but also provide information on snow cover duration and snow melt
Understanding environmental change from space
But not only high-mountain environments are of his interest. Within his current project MainPro, he analyses various datasets, including optical remote sensing time series, topographic information, and meteorological data. Using these data, he aims to identify ongoing environmental trends and potential future georisks, such as flash floods and droughts, in the surrounding region around Würzburg.
