Florian
BETZ

SCIENTIFIC PROJECT

"From pixels to fluvial processes – using satellite time series for analyzing biogeomorphic dynamics across river systems in Kyrgyzstan and Europe"

This project  is dedicated to the development of satellite time series based workflows for large-scale analysis of biogeomorphic feedbacks in river corridor being the foundation of biodiversity and ecosystem service provision of riverscapes. Specifically, the research will (i) develop a classification scheme for biogeomorphic succession stages using super-resolution Sentinel-2 imagery ; (ii) design a time series approach to quantify temporal trajectories of coupled hydromorphology and vegetation dynamics, including intra-annual processes such as inundation patterns and vegetation phenology ; (iii) deploy a cloud-computing processing pipeline that supports continental to global scale application ; and (iv) evaluate and compare the performance of the developed approaches across river systems in Central Asia and Europe, including cross-testing of approaches developed within H₂O’Lyon. Using ground truth and UAV data, machine learning models will predict key biogeomorphic indicators such as inundation duration, fine sediment fraction, vegetation cover and succession stage. The joint effort of Dr. Betz and the researchers at H₂O’Lyon will advance the use of open satellite archives for river science and path the way towards globally consistent monitoring of riverscapes and their dynamics.

BIOGRAPHY

Florian Betz is a principal investigator at the Earth Observation Research Cluster at the University of Würzburg (Germany). In his research, he broadly addresses the complex process regimes driving the development of riverscapes and their ability to provide ecosystem services. Being affiliated with a remote sensing institution, he is focusing on the use of satellite data along with AI tools to study rivers and their dynamics.