RII Track-4: PermaSense: Investigating Permafrost Landscapes in Transition Using Multidimensional Remote Sensing, Data Fusion, and Machine Learning Techniques

永久冻土层约占北半球陆地景观的25%。它的退化正在影响北方的景观和社会。自21世纪初以来，随着遥感平台数量的增加，探测和测量大面积永久冻土区干扰的能力变得更加可行。这项研究，我们称之为PermaSense，将提供资金，通过在康涅狄格大学(UConn)自然资源与环境系(DNRE)的长期访问、培训和合作，增加一名非终身教职研究助理教员和一名早期职业博士后研究员的研究能力。PermaSense将允许PI和博士后通过获取新的数据融合和机器学习技术，在他们的永久冻土地区实地和遥感研究计划的基础上进行建设。PermaSense产品直接关系到阿拉斯加州和整个国家。在该项目期间获得的技能和知识转让将提高阿拉斯加大学费尔班克斯大学的永久冻土研究和遥感能力。这项研究涉及2017-2021财年北极研究计划中规定的与永冻土、陆地生态系统、海岸韧性和环境情报有关的几个机构间北极研究政策委员会(IARPC)的绩效要素。永冻土的定义是至少连续两年保持在0摄氏度或以下的地面。近地表多年冻土的扰动和变暖可能导致富冰多年冻土区广泛的地形不稳定，影响生态系统、水文学、基础设施、社会和土壤碳动态。遥感是观察、记录和更好地了解从局部到泛北极尺度的景观变化的重要资源。然而，没有一种遥感工具特别适合于探测和观察与永久冻土过渡相关的一系列景观变化情景。PermaSense将使用多维遥感、数据融合和机器学习技术调查永久冻土地区发生的无数陆地表面变化。PermaSense将加强方法开发和调整，以更快、更深入和更准确地分析大量多维遥感数据，以解决指导性研究问题：当代北极和亚北极的永久冻土退化范围有多大？我们将在四个具有代表性的多年冻土区研究区域进行多维遥感观测分析，以捕捉永久冻土横向范围的变异性。生态、气候、景观历史的内在差异及其在转变永久冻土区中的作用将使用所有地点的共同方法以及特定地区可用的增值产品进行测试。PermaSense将开发一个在线资源和工具集，提供关于永久冻土地区扰动的空间和时间可扩展信息，并为当地规划活动、科学界和负责应对转型中永久冻土地区的区域决策者提供工具。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Permafrost underlies around 25% of the Northern Hemisphere terrestrial landscape. Its degradation is impacting northern landscapes and societies. With an increase in the number of remote sensing platforms since the early 2000s, the ability to detect and measure permafrost-region disturbances over large areas has become more feasible. This research, a project we call PermaSense, will provide funding to increase the research capacity of a non-tenure track Research Assistant Faculty member and an early career post-doctoral researcher through extended visits, training, and collaboration at the University of Connecticut (UConn) Department of Natural Resources & the Environment (DNRE). PermaSense will allow the PI and postdoc to build upon their permafrost-region field and remote sensing research program by acquiring new data fusion and machine learning techniques. PermaSense products are directly relevant to the State of Alaska and the nation. The skills and knowledge transfer gained during this project will increase the capacity of permafrost research and remote sensing at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. The research addresses several of the Interagency Arctic Research Policy Committee (IARPC) performance elements related to permafrost, terrestrial ecosystems, coastal resilience, and environmental intelligence as specified in the FY2017-2021 Arctic Research Plan.Permafrost is defined as ground that remains at or below 0 degrees Celsius for at least two consecutive years. Disturbance and warming of near-surface permafrost may lead to widespread terrain instability in ice-rich permafrost regions, impacting ecosystems, hydrology, infrastructure, society, and soil-carbon dynamics. Remote sensing is an important resource for observing, documenting, and better understanding landscape change from local to pan-Arctic scales. However, no one remote sensing tool is particularly suited for detecting and observing the suite of landscape change scenarios associated with transitioning permafrost. PermaSense will investigate myriad land surface changes occurring in permafrost regions using multidimensional remote sensing, data fusion, and machine learning techniques. PermaSense will enhance methodological developments and adaptations to unseal faster, deeper and more accurately analyze large volumes of multidimensional remote-sensing data to address the guiding research question: How extensive is contemporary permafrost degradation in the Arctic and Subarctic? We will conduct an analysis of multidimensional remote sensing observations at four representative permafrost-region study areas that capture the variability in the lateral extent of permafrost. The inherent differences in ecology, climate, landscape history, and their role in transitioning permafrost regions will be tested using common approaches across all sites as well as value-added products available for particular regions. PermaSense will develop an online resource and toolset that will provide spatially and temporally scalable information on permafrost region disturbances and a tool for local planning activities, the scientific community, and regional decision-makers tasked with responding to permafrost regions in transition.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.