Research
Overview
My research focuses on InSAR time-series analysis and satellite-based deformation monitoring to investigate geophysical and environmental processes. I specialize in extracting meaningful signals from large, noisy radar and optical datasets to study landslides, land subsidence, earthquakes, and volcanic activity.
Ph.D. Research: Landslide Dynamics in the Central Andes
As a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Potsdam (expected 2026), I investigate slow-moving landslides and hillslope processes in the south-central Andes of northwestern Argentina using advanced InSAR techniques.
Key Research Areas:
1. InSAR Time-Series Analysis for Landslide Monitoring
- Developed scalable Python workflows for processing multi-temporal SAR data (Sentinel-1, ALOS-2) using ISCE, MintPy, and MiaplPy
- Implemented phase-linking strategies to enhance deformation signal quality in challenging terrain
- Applied spatial statistics and clustering methods to identify and classify deformation regimes
- Generated high-resolution ground-deformation maps for GIS-based environmental analysis
2. Tropospheric Delay Correction
- Compared statistical and physics-based ray-tracing approaches for atmospheric correction
- Integrated global weather models (ERA5, MERRA-2) to mitigate tropospheric noise
- Significantly improved InSAR time-series reliability through advanced correction methods
- Presented findings at FRINGE 2026 and EGU conferences
3. Multi-Source Geodetic Integration
- Combined InSAR, GNSS, and LiDAR datasets for comprehensive deformation analysis
- Supported earthquake and volcanic deformation inversion workflows
- Processed large SAR and optical satellite datasets using HPC (SLURM) parallel computing
Current Research Projects
Groundwater Depletion and Land Subsidence
Investigating subsidence in the Minab Coastal Plain (Iran) by integrating InSAR time-series with aquifer modeling to understand groundwater extraction impacts.
Earthquake Sequence Analysis
Contributing to multi-sensor geodetic analysis of the 2022 earthquake sequence in the Zagros mountains, Iran (published in Seismica, 2023).
Seasonal Landslide Activity
Analyzing seasonal patterns in landslide kinematics and their relationship to precipitation and hydrological processes in the Andes.
Research Interests
- Microwave and Optical Remote Sensing: SAR interferometry, optical offset tracking, spectral analysis
- Ground Deformation Monitoring: Landslides, subsidence, tectonic motion, volcanic deformation
- Atmospheric Corrections: Tropospheric and ionospheric delay mitigation for InSAR and GNSS
- Machine Learning in Geosciences: Supervised and unsupervised learning for land cover classification and deformation pattern recognition
- Geospatial Data Science: Large-scale processing pipelines, spatial statistics, GIS-based interpretation
- Hydrological Modeling: Surface and subsurface water dynamics, GRACE data analysis
Methodological Expertise
InSAR Processing Toolchains
ISCE, MintPy, MiaplPy, Dolphin, StaMPS, SARscape, SNAP, GMTSAR, TRAIN
Geospatial Analysis
ArcGIS Pro, QGIS, ENVI, LAStools, MicMac, Ames Stereo Pipeline, PostgreSQL/PostGIS
Geodetic Tools
GAMIT/GLOBK, GNSSRef, GNSS-IR techniques
Programming & Data Science
Python (NumPy, pandas, GeoPandas, scikit-learn, xarray, Dask), MATLAB, R, Bash scripting
High-Performance Computing
SLURM-based parallel workflows for multi-terabyte SAR/optical data processing
Selected Publications & Presentations
2026 - Mohseni Aref, M., Bookhagen, B. (2026). “Evaluation of Tropospheric Delay Correction Methods for InSAR Time-Series Analysis in the Southern Central Andes.” FRINGE 2026, Kraków, Poland.
2025 - Mohseni Aref, M., Kamali, H. (2025). “Groundwater depletion and land subsidence in the Minab Coastal Plain: Insights from InSAR time-series and aquifer modeling.” 3rd ICCC Workshop, IAG.
2024 - Mohseni Aref, M., Bookhagen, B., Strecker, M.R. (2024). “Impact of Tropospheric Delay Correction on the Quality of Landslide Mapping in the Southern Central Andes, Northwestern Argentina.” EGU General Assembly. DOI: 10.5194/egusphere-egu24-12522
2023 - Metz, M., Maleki Asayesh, B., Mohseni Aref, M., et al. (2023). “The July-December 2022 earthquake sequence in the southeastern Fars arc of Zagros mountains, Iran.” Seismica. DOI: 10.26443/seismica.v2i2.953
Collaborations
I actively collaborate with researchers at: - University of Potsdam (Germany) - Geomorphology and remote sensing - EFTAS Remote Sensing Technology (Germany) - Applied InSAR monitoring - Istanbul Technical University (Turkey) - Geodesy and tectonic deformation - GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences - Seismology and earthquake analysis
Research Impact
My work contributes to: - Natural Hazard Assessment: Improved landslide and subsidence monitoring for risk evaluation - Climate Change Research: Understanding permafrost dynamics and hydrological changes - Methodological Advances: Enhanced InSAR processing techniques for challenging environments - Open Science: Development of reproducible Python workflows for the remote sensing community