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.
The Summer Academy in Baden-Württemberg empowers talented students, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds, to explore diverse disciplines beyond standard curricula. Patricia Glocke and Svea Krikau taught climate and environmental sciences, covering climate science fundamentals, Python and Google Earth Engine for data processing, and sensor technology. Students developed projects like nightlight evolution and forest fire monitoring. Evening expert talks fostered rich discussions. This hands-on program enhances academic and personal growth, preparing young talents for future challenges.
Dr. Susanne Benz from KIT explained the effects of climate change on groundwater temperatures during her alleWetter interview. She highlighted how rising air temperatures also heat groundwater, with regions like the Sahel Zone and northern Australia experiencing extreme temperatures up to 34°C. This warming impacts ecosystems, human health, and energy systems, making groundwater more prone to pathogens and chemical dissolution. Additionally, warmer groundwater affects fish habitats, like salmon spawning in rivers. Dr. Benz emphasized the long-lasting nature of this warming, requiring decades to reverse even with significant climate mitigation efforts.
Watch it here
At the Summer Science Slam 2024 in Hannover, hosted by VolkswagenStiftung, Patricia Glocke captivated an audience of 400 with her talk, “Hot Secrets: How the Subsurface Heats Up Air Temperatures and Why We Can Still Stay Cool.” She explained how ground temperature variations affect energy flows and air temperatures, using modeling techniques to analyze these impacts. Ending with ice pops for the crowd, Patricia made science engaging and accessible, showcasing the relevance of subsurface heat in our daily lives.
Watch it here| Name | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benz, Susanne | susanne benz ∂does-not-exist.kit edu |
| Name | Homepage | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dr. | Khan, Basit | basit khan ∂does-not-exist.nyu edu | https://nyuad.nyu.edu/en/research/faculty-labs-and-projects/access/basit-khan.html |
| Titel | From | To | Funding Scheme | Contact Person |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CoolTree - The cooling potential of city trees at the local scale in parks and streets | 2024 |
2024 |
||
| JustMap - Eine Kartierung der (Un)gleichverteilung von urbaner Hitzebelastung auf lokaler, landesweiter und nationaler Ebene | 2024 |
2024 |
KIT-Zentrum Klima und Umwelt - Matching Funds; Umweltstiftung der Kreissparkasse Karlsruhe |
|
| Biodiversitäts-Bewertung von Biotoptypen durch Maschinelles Lernen anhand von Citizen-Science-Tonaufnahmen und Satellitenbildern (Bio-O-Ton) | 2023 |
2024 |
||
| Erfassung kritischer Auswirkungen von Hitzeperioden im urbanen öffentlichen Raum | 2023 |
2026 |
Center for Disaster Management and Risk Reduction Technology (CEDIM) |
|
| Large scale assessment of the effects of sustainable heat recycling in the shallow sub-surface on above ground temperature | 2022 |
2028 |
Freigeist-Fellowship der Volkswagen Stiftung |
Publication Record
Glocke, P.; Holst, C. C.; Khan, B.; Benz, S. A.
2025. Earth System Dynamics, 16 (1), 55–74. doi:10.5194/esd-16-55-2025
Glocke, P.; Holst, C. C.; Khan, B. A.; Benz, S. A.
2024. Copernicus. doi:10.5194/egusphere-2024-1234
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
Glocke, P.; Holst, C. C.; Khan, B. A.; Benz, S. A.
2024. EGU General Assembly 2024, Copernicus. doi:10.5194/egusphere-egu24-3967
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
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
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
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
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
Glocke, P.; Scholz, T.; Grudzielanek, A. M.
2023. Atmosphere, 14 (10), Art.-Nr.: 1492. doi:10.3390/atmos14101492
Glocke, P.; Bechtel, B.; Sismanidis, P.
2023. Atmosphere, 14 (6), Art.Nr.: 1025. doi:10.3390/atmos14061025
Benz, S. A.; Menberg, K.; Bayer, P.; Kurylyk, B. L.
2022. Nature Communications, 13, Article no: 3962. doi:10.1038/s41467-022-31624-6
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
Benz, S. A.; Burney, J. A.
2021. Earth’s Future, 9 (7), e2021EF002016. doi:10.1029/2021EF002016
Benz, S. A.; Davis, S. J.; Burney, J. A.
2021. Environmental Research Letters, 16 (6), Article no: 064093. doi:10.1088/1748-9326/ac0661
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
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
Blum, P.; Menberg, K.; Koch, F.; Benz, S.; Tissen, C.; Bayer, P.
2019, September 9. 10th International Conference on Groundwater Quality (2019), Lüttich, Belgien, 9.–12. September 2019
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
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
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
Benz, S. A.; Blum, P.
2019. Natural hazards and earth system sciences, 19 (7), 1433–1444. doi:10.5194/nhess-19-1433-2019
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
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
Benz, S. A.; Bayer, P.; Blum, P.
2017. Environmental research letters, 12 (3), Art. Nr.: 034005. doi:10.1088/1748-9326/aa5fb0
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
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
Benz, S.
2016. Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (KIT). doi:10.5445/IR/1000065105
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
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
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