UC Spark

Dr Wolfgang Rack

Gateway Antarctica

Fields of Research

  • Remote sensing in polar and alpine environment
  • Mass balance studies of glaciers and ice sheets
  • Satellite and airborne remote sensing

Researcher Summary

Main research interest is the satellite and airborne remote sensing of snow and ice with emphasis on the mass balance studies of glaciers & ice sheets. This includes the mapping of glacier dynamics such as horizontal and vertical motion, the mapping of snow pack properties and surface accumulation, surface topography and ice thickness, and the mapping of the spatial extent and temporal variability of glaciers and ice sheets. The remote sensing analysis is complemented by reference field measurements for snow morphology, ice thickness and dynamics.

Subject Area: Disciplines

Research Projects

Research Groups

Future Research

  • Mass balance of Antarctic Glaciers in the Ross Sea region
  • Change detection of the cryosphere in Antarctica and New Zealand
  • Dry snow line mapping
  • Antarctic snow morphological studies using remote sensing & field measurements

Key Methodologies

  • Ground penetrating radar
  • Digital image analysis
  • SAR Interferometry

Equipment

Affiliations

Prizes and Awards

  • Bernd Rendel Prize for R. Drews for the quality and originality of previous research work or work in progress (2009)
  • Outstanding Course Award presented at the University Continuing Education Directors’ Annual Conference (2008)
  • Communicator Award of the German Research Foundation as part of the glaciology working group, Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research (2007)

Publications

(Selected outputs for last six years)

Journal Article
  • Sohrabinia, M., Rack, W. and Zawar-Reza, P. (2012) Analysis of MODIS LST compared with WRF model and in situ data over the Waimakariri River Basin, Canterbury, New Zealand. Remote Sensing 4(11): 3501-3527. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/rs4113501.
  • Neckel., N., Drews, R., Rack, W. and Steinhage, D. (2012) Basal melting at the Ekström Ice Shelf, Antarctica, estimated from mass flux divergence. Annals of Glaciology 53(60): 294-302. http://dx.doi.org/10.3189/2012AoG60A167.
  • Dierking, W., Linow, S. and Rack, W. (2012) Towards a robust retrieval of snow accumulation over the Antarctic ice sheet using satellite radar. Journal of Geophysical Research 117: D09110. http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2011JD017227.
  • Bindschadler, R., Choi, H., Wichlacz, A., Bingham, R., Bohlander, J., Brunt, K., Corr, H., Drews, R., Fricker, H., Hall, M., Hindmarsh, R., Kohler, J., Padman, L., Rack, W., Rotschky, G., Urbini, S., Vornberger, P. and Young, N. (2011) Getting around Antarctica: new high-resolution mappings of the grounded and freely-floating boundaries of the Antarctic ice sheet created for the International Polar Year. The Cryosphere 5: 569-588. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/tc-5-569-2011.
  • Kruetzmann, N.C., Rack, W., McDonald, A.J. and George S.E. (2011) Snow accumulation and compaction derived from GPR data near Ross Island, Antarctica. The Cryosphere 5: 391-404. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/tc-5-391-2011.
  • Drews, R., Rack, W., Wesche, C. and Helm, V. (2009) A Spatially Adjusted Elevation Model in Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica, Based on Differential SAR Interferometry. IEEE Transactions of Geoscience and Remote Sensing 47(8): 2501-2509. http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/TGRS.2009.2016081.
  • Kerr, T., Owens, I., Rack, W. and Gardner, R. (2009) Using ground-based laser scanning to monitor surface change on the Rolleston Glacier, New Zealand. Journal of Hydrology New Zealand 48(2): 59-72.
  • Dunse, T., Eisen, O., Helm, V., Rack, W., Steinhage, D. and Parry, V. (2008) Characteristics and small-scale variability of GPR signals and their relation to snow accumulation in Greenland's percolation zone. Journal of Glaciology 54(185): 333-342. http://dx.doi.org/10.3189/002214308784886207.
  • Jansen, D., Schodlok, M. and Rack, W. (2007) Basal melting of A-38B: A physical model constrained by satellite observations. Remote Sensing Environment 111(2-3): 195-203. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2007.03.022.
  • Helm, V., Rack, W., Cullen, R., Nienow, P., Mair, D., Parry, V. and Wingham, D.J. (2007) Winter accumulation in the percolation zone of Greenland measured by airborne radar altimeter. Geophysical Research Letters 34: L06501. http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2006GL029185.
Conference Contribution - Paper in published proceedings
  • Fernández-Prieto, D., Hogg, A., Bamber, J., Baeseman, J., Drinkwater, M., Ryabinin, V., Steffen, K., Dierking, W., Duguay, C., Gerland, S., Giles, K., Haas, C., Heim, B., Howell, S., Joughin, I., Kaleschke, L., Kern, S., Laxon, S., Macelloni, G., Painter, T., Paul, F., Payne, A.J., Pedersen, L.T., Pulliainen, J., Rack, W., Rignot, E., Rott, H., Scambos, T., Schrama, E., Shepherd, A., Strozzi, T., van den Broeke, M.R., Velicogna, I. and Zwally, J. (2013) Earth Observation and Cryosphere: The Way Forward. Frascati, Italy: Earth Observation and Cryosphere Science Conference, 13-16 November 2012. In ESA SP-712, May 2013
  • Price, D., Rack, W., Haas, C., Langhorne, P. and Marsh, O. (2012) Assessment of sea ice freeboard and thickness in McMurdo Sound, Antarctica, derived by ground validated satellite altimeter data. Melbourne, Australia: XXII Congress of the International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ISPRS), 25 Aug-1 Sep 2012. In International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences XXXIX-B8 585-590. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/isprsarchives-XXXIX-B8-585-2012.
  • Sohrabinia, M., Rack, W. and Zawar-Reza, P. (2012) Geostatistical analysis of surface temperature and in-situ soil moisture using LST time-series from MODIS. Melbourne, Australia: XXII Congress of the International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ISPRS), 25 Aug-1 Sep 2012. In International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences XXXIX-B7 17-21. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/isprsarchives-XXXIX-B7-17-2012.
  • Runge, H., Rack, W. and Hepperle, M. (2007) A Solar Powered HALE-UAV For Arctic Research. Berlin, Germany: First CEAS European Air and Space Conference, 10-13 Sep 2007. In Proceedings of the 1st CEAS European Air and Space Conference 6pp.
  • Rott, H., Rack, W. and Nagler, T. (2007) Increased Export of Grounded Ice after the Collapse of Northern Larsen Ice Shelf, Antarctic Peninsula, Observed by Envisat ASAR. Barcelona, Spain: International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium (IGARSS) 2007, 23-27 Jul 2007. In Proceedings International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium, 2007. IGARSS 2007 1174-1176. http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/IGARSS.2007.4423013.
Conference Contribution - Oral presentation
  • Riger-Kusk, M., Lawson, W., Rack, W., Anderson, B. and Storey, B. (2009) Results from a Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) Survey of the Darwin-Hatherton Glacial System, Antarctica. Auckland, New Zealand: Annual Antarctic Conference 2009, 1-3 Jul 2009.
  • Rack, W., Kruetzmann, N., Riger-Kusk, M., Langhorne, P., Haas, C. and Park, D. (2009) Satellite Remote Sensing of the polar cryosphere in the western Ross Sea region. Auckland, New Zealand: Annual Antarctic Conference 2009, 1-3 Jul 2009.
  • Rack, W. (2007) Remote Sensing in Antarctica. Wellington, New Zealand: Antarctica: 50 Years on The Ice, 2-6 Jul 2007.
Additional Publications
  • Marsh, O.J., Rack, W., Golledge, N.R. and Lawson, W. (2012) Grounding zone ice thickness from satellite: Inverse modelling of tidal elastic bending. Twizel, New Zealand: Snow & Ice Research Group (NZ) Annual Workshop (SIRG), 13-15 Feb 2012.
  • Marsh, O.J., Rack, W., Golledge, N.R. and Lawson, W. (2012) Satellite and GNSS identification of tidal flexure and velocity fluctuations in the grounding zone of outlet glaciers in the Transantarctic Mountains, Antarctica. Vienna, Austria: European Geosciences Union General Assembly (EGU), 22-27 Apr 2012. In Geophysical Research Abstracts 14 1007. http://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU2012/EGU2012-1007.pdf.