The junior research group GRUSS (Geoinformatics for climate Resilient Urban SystemS) is funded by the Volkswagen foundation as a Freigeist Fellowship for six years, starting fall 2022. Our work combines (big) data science with geospatial data to study the impacts of  urbanization and climate change on society and nature. Particular interest is on the role of the built environment on atmospheric, surface, and subsurface temperature disparities.

News

Visit the News Archive to learn more about the archievements of GRUSS members.

Patricia Glockepatricia glocke
Patricia Glocke and Svea Krikau Lecturers @ Summer Academy at Salem International College

The Summer Academy in Baden-Württemberg is an educational program designed to provide exceptional students bevor their graduation a unique opportunity to enhance their skills and interests across various disciplines. The program targets talented individuals, particularly those from challenging backgrounds, offering them a platform to advance their abilities and knowledge. This includes individuals from socially disadvantaged circumstances, low educational backgrounds of parents, or those who have faced significant challenges such as fleeing from wars and conflict zones.

The program offers participants the chance to delve deeply into specific topics from diverse fields such as medicine, psychology, robotics and AI, literature, economics and climate and environmental science, that extend beyond the standard school curriculum.

In addition to theoretical knowledge, the program emphasizes practical application through workshops and projects. This hands-on approach helps students apply the concepts they have learned in a practical context.

Course Highlights

Patricia Glocke and Svea Krikau had the privilege to teach the climate and environmental sciences course, guiding students over eight days. The course encompassed a wide range of topics, including:

Fundamental Climate Science: An introduction to the basic principles of climate science.

Data Processing: Instruction in data processing using Python and Google Earth Engine. Students developed projects on topics such as the evolution of nightlights over recent years and forest fire monitoring.

Sensor Technology: An introduction to sensor technology, where students had the opportunity to conduct their own measurements and analyze the data collected.

Furthermore, each evening, experts were invited, and discussions extended late into the night, fostering a rich exchange of ideas among all participants.

The Summer Academy Talent in Baden-Württemberg not only provides valuable academic enrichment but also encourages personal growth and interdisciplinary learning, making it a significant opportunity for young talents in the region.

VolkswagenVolkswagen
Catch Patricia Glocke at the Summer Science Slam 2024: Presented by Volkswagen Foundation

We Love Science! Patricia Glocke at the Summer Science Slam 2024 by VolkswagenStiftung in Hannover

The Summer Science Slam 2024, organized by the VolkswagenStiftung, focused this year on topics related to climate, environment, and energy. Held on July 12th at the Explanatorium Herrenhausen, the event featured seven scientists presenting their research to an engaged audience of approximately 400 attendees. Due to the high level of interest and limited seats, many spectators had to be turned away, and follow the event via livestream.

The challenge of the Science Slam is to communicate complex scientific concepts in an engaging and comprehensible manner within a ten-minute timeframe.

Patricia Glocke presented her research in a talk titled “Hot Secrets: How the Subsurface Heats Up Air Temperatures and Why We Can Still Stay Cool - A Turbulent Affair with the Atmosphere.” In her presentation she examined how variations in ground temperatures influence energy flows and air temperatures, while also discussing the modeling techniques employed to analyze these phenomena and the everyday challenges faced by researchers in this domain.

To conclude her presentation, Patricia distributed ice pops to the audience, providing a literal and figurative cooling effect after the intense discussion. This event offered a valuable opportunity to make scientific research more accessible to the public and to highlight the significance and implications of subsurface heat.

Watch it here
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Dr. Susanne Benz Discusses Her Latest Publication on alleWetter - Watch the June 20, 2024 Episode Here

Dr. Susanne Benz talked about her latest publication in alleWetter! HR, 20.6.2024

Watch it here

Publication Record


2024
Global groundwater warming due to climate change
Benz, S. A.; Irvine, D. J.; Rau, G. C.; Bayer, P.; Menberg, K.; Blum, P.; Jamieson, R. C.; Griebler, C.; Kurylyk, B. L.
2024. Nature Geoscience, 17, 545–551. doi:10.1038/s41561-024-01453-x
Impact of Subsurface Thermal Anomalies on Air Temperatures in Idealized Scenarios Using PALM-4U
Glocke, P.; Holst, C. C.; Khan, B. A.; Benz, S. A.
2024. EGU General Assembly 2024, Copernicus. doi:10.5194/egusphere-egu24-3967
2023
Shallow groundwater temperature patterns revealed through a regional monitoring well network
Smith, K. A.; O’Sullivan, A. M.; Kennedy, G.; Benz, S. A.; Somers, L. D.; Kurylyk, B. L.
2023. Hydrological Processes, 37 (9), Art.-Nr.: e14975. doi:10.1002/hyp.14975
Cold spots oder hot spots – Thermische Muster und Kaltluftabfluss auf Bergehalden im Ruhrgebiet = Thermal patterns and cold airflow on tailings piles in the Ruhr area
Grudzielanek, A. M.; Lemoine-Rodriguez, R.; Glocke, P.; Scholz, T.; Zepp, H.
2023. Berichte Geographie und Landeskunde, 96 (3), 189–214. doi:10.25162/bgl-2023-0010
Thermal impact of underground car parks on urban groundwater
Noethen, M.; Hemmerle, H.; Menberg, K.; Epting, J.; Benz, S. A.; Blum, P.; Bayer, P.
2023. Science of The Total Environment, 903, Art.-Nr.: 166572. doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.166572
Impacts of Altered Human Activities due to COVID-19 Lockdown on Air Pollutants and Land Surface Temperatures across European Cities
Glocke, P.; Bechtel, B.; Sismanidis, P.
2023. 2023 Joint Urban Remote Sensing Event (JURSE), Heraklion, Greece, 17-19 May 2023, 1–4, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). doi:10.1109/JURSE57346.2023.10144137
Paired Air and Stream Temperature Analysis (PASTA) to Evaluate Groundwater Influence on Streams
Hare, D. K.; Benz, S. A.; Kurylyk, B. L.; Johnson, Z. C.; Terry, N. C.; Helton, A. M.
2023. Water Resources Research, 59 (4), e2022WR033912. doi:10.1029/2022WR033912
2022
Shallow subsurface heat recycling is a sustainable global space heating alternative
Benz, S. A.; Menberg, K.; Bayer, P.; Kurylyk, B. L.
2022. Nature Communications, 13, Article no: 3962. doi:10.1038/s41467-022-31624-6
Disparate air pollution reductions during California’s COVID-19 economic shutdown
Bluhm, R.; Polonik, P.; Hemes, K. S.; Sanford, L. C.; Benz, S. A.; Levy, M. C.; Ricke, K. L.; Burney, J. A.
2022. Nature Sustainability, 5 (6), 509–517. doi:10.1038/s41893-022-00856-1
2021
Drivers and projections of global surface temperature anomalies at the local scale
Benz, S. A.; Davis, S. J.; Burney, J. A.
2021. Environmental Research Letters, 16 (6), Article no: 064093. doi:10.1088/1748-9326/ac0661
Identifying key locations for shallow geothermal use in Vienna
Tissen, C.; Menberg, K.; Benz, S. A.; Bayer, P.; Steiner, C.; Götzl, G.; Blum, P.
2021. Renewable energy, 167, 1–19. doi:10.1016/j.renene.2020.11.024
Is thermal use of groundwater a pollution?
Blum, P.; Menberg, K.; Koch, F.; Benz, S. A.; Tissen, C.; Hemmerle, H.; Bayer, P.
2021. Journal of Contaminant Hydrology, 239, Art.-Nr.: 103791. doi:10.1016/j.jconhyd.2021.103791
2019
Is heat a contaminant?
Blum, P.; Menberg, K.; Koch, F.; Benz, S.; Tissen, C.; Bayer, P.
2019, September 9. 10th International Conference on Groundwater Quality (2019), Liège, Belgium, September 9–12, 2019
Understanding a Rapidly Expanding Refugee Camp Using Convolutional Neural Networks and Satellite Imagery
Benz, S.; Park, H.; Li, J.; Crawl, D.; Block, J.; Nguyen, M.; Altintas, I.
2019. 15th International Conference on eScience (eScience), 243–251, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). doi:10.1109/eScience.2019.00034
Estimation of Groundwater Temperatures in Paris, France
Hemmerle, H.; Hale, S.; Dressel, I.; Benz, S. A.; Attard, G.; Blum, P.; Bayer, P.
2019. Geofluids, 2019, Article ID 5246307. doi:10.1155/2019/5246307
Groundwater temperature anomalies in Central Europe
Tissen, C.; Benz, S. A.; Menberg, K.; Bayer, P.; Blum, P.
2019. Environmental research letters, 14, Article no: 104012. doi:10.1088/1748-9326/ab4240
Global detection of rainfall-triggered landslide clusters
Benz, S. A.; Blum, P.
2019. Natural hazards and earth system sciences, 19 (7), 1433–1444. doi:10.5194/nhess-19-1433-2019
2018
Comparing anthropogenic heat input and heat accumulation in the subsurface of Osaka, Japan
Benz, S. A.; Bayer, P.; Blum, P.; Hamamoto, H.; Arimoto, H.; Taniguchi, M.
2018. The science of the total environment, 643, 1127–1136. doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.06.253
Recent trends of groundwater temperatures in Austria
Benz, S. A.; Bayer, P.; Winkler, G.; Blum, P.
2018. Hydrology and earth system sciences, 22 (6), 3143–3154. doi:10.5194/hess-22-3143-2018
2017
Global patterns of shallow groundwater temperatures
Benz, S. A.; Bayer, P.; Blum, P.
2017. Environmental research letters, 12 (3), Art. Nr.: 034005. doi:10.1088/1748-9326/aa5fb0
Estimation of the sustainable geothermal potential of Vienna
Tissen, C.; Benz, S. A.; Keck, C. A.; Bayer, P.; Blum, P.
2017. 19th EGU General Assembly - Abstracts (EGU2017) Wien, A, 23.-28. April 2017, 14086
Identifying anthropogenic anomalies in air, surface and groundwater temperatures in Germany
Benz, S. A.; Bayer, P.; Blum, P.
2017. The science of the total environment, 584-585, 145–153. doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.01.139
2016
Human Impact on Groundwater Temperatures. PhD dissertation
Benz, S.
2016. Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (KIT). doi:10.5445/IR/1000065105
Linking Surface Urban Heat Islands with Groundwater Temperatures
Benz, S. A.; Bayer, P.; Göttsche, F. M.; Olesen, F. S.; Blum, P.
2016. Environmental science & technology, 50 (1), 70–78. doi:10.1021/acs.est.5b03672
Satellitengestützte Fernerkundung urbaner Wärmeinseln im Grundwasser
Benz, S.; Bayer, P.; Goettsche, F.-M.; Olesen, F. S.; Blum, P.
2016. Grundwasser - Mensch - Ökosysteme : 25. Tagung der Fachsektion Hydrogeologie in der DGGV 2016, Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (KIT), 13.-17. April 2016. Hrsg.: P. Blum, 249–250, KIT Scientific Publishing
2015
Spatial resolution of anthropogenic heat fluxes into urban aquifers
Benz, S. A.; Bayer, P.; Menberg, K.; Jung, S.; Blum, P.
2015. The science of the total environment, 524-525, 427–439. doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2015.04.003