University Potsdam
A forest fire event greatly alters the ground vegetation. In burned pine forests, very few plant species survive, while many new species colonize them. The Department of General Botany at the University of Potsdam is investigating how ground vegetation develops over the years after a forest fire event. The occurring plant species, their characteristics and their biomass are recorded to get a picture of the progressive succession and to determine the effect of ground vegetation on ecosystem functions.
At the Chair of Hydrology and Climatology we are interested in investigating natural and anthopogenic influences on the water cycle and the transport of water, nutrients and sediment. Methodically, we combine field investigations and remote sensing with the development and application of computer-aided simulation models. In the project PYROPHOB we are using remote sensing data (from sattelites and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) to map and monitor previous fire extent and intensity, as well as the state of the tree population and vegetation development after the fire event. Furthermore, we have implemented a hydrological monitoring network to measure precipitation and soil humidity. We conduct the analysis of the resulting data and the reconstruction of soil-hydrological processes by 1D-hydrological modelling.
Subproject 2
Institute of Biochemestry and Biology
PD Dr. Thilo Heinken (Ground vegetation and soil moisture)
Maren Schüle (Ground vegetation)
Institute of Environmental Science and Geography
Dr. Arlena Brosinsky (Remote Sensing)
Marie Therese Schmehl (Remote Sensing)
Dr. Till Francke (Soilhydrology)
Sophia Dobkowitz (Soilhydrology)