Virginia Tech to establish radar satellite-based observatory in Alaska
Virginia Tech geoscientists were tapped to lead a $1.2 million project, funded by the Department of Defense's Environmental Security Technology Certification Program, to establish a satellite-based observatory in Alaska.
The initiative will leverage spaceborne Synthetic Aperture Radar technology to monitor sinking land (subsidence), infrastructure vulnerability, and flooding hazards.
This project addresses critical challenges Alaska faces, including permafrost degradation, coastal erosion, and relative sea-level rise, which threaten military installations and surrounding communities. By using advanced radar technology, the observatory will provide high-resolution near-real-time measurements of ground deformation with unprecedented accuracy, enabling the Department of Defense to better safeguard its infrastructure and personnel.
"Alaska's military sites are facing growing hazards, where environmental changes severely impact the stability of both natural and built infrastructure," said Manoochehr Shirzaei, the project’s principal investigator. "Our goal is to provide actionable, cost-effective tools that enhance resilience and operational readiness in the face of these challenges."
The project will generate detailed maps of land subsidence, flooding risks, and infrastructure vulnerabilities across nine military installations in Alaska, using data from the Sentinel-1 satellite constellation. The observatory will also integrate radar data with other geospatial tools to improve situational awareness, support disaster response, and guide long-term resilience planning.
"This effort represents a significant step toward bridging advanced Earth observation technologies with practical applications to protect vital assets in vulnerable regions," said Susanna Werth, co-principal investigator.
This project will also provide insights into the dynamics of permafrost and coastal environments, informing resilience strategies for communities in Alaska and beyond.
About Shirzaei
Manoochehr Shirzaei is an environmental security expert and an associate professor of geophysics and remote sensing at the College of Science at Virginia Tech. He is also a senior fellow at the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health. His research interests encompass sea level rise, land subsidence, flooding hazards, and renewable energy. Shirzaei’s team at the Virginia Tech Earth Observation and Innovation Lab monitors and analyzes the environmental impact of geohazards, creating actionable data to assist policymakers and the public in addressing current and emerging hazards.
About Werth
Susanna Werth is an assistant professor of hydrogeodesy at the College of Science at Virginia Tech and lead of the Hydrologic Innovation and Remote Sensing lab. Her research interests include water cycle dynamics, groundwater resources, groundwater-related hazards, gravity variations, and crustal deformation. Research at the HIRS lab focuses on integrating remote sensing methods into water resources monitoring to provide new insights into groundwater systems and help water managers formulate equitable and sustainable resource management plans and reduce hazards.