Yesterday, the practical field trip in the Erg Chebbi ended and the majority of the group arrived safely in Heidelberg. Another part of the group and the equipment are still on their way back via car and ferry.
After several days in the field, we are already very excited to start working on the large amount of multi-source datasets including terrestrial laser scanning, ground penetrating radar, electrial resistivity tomography, sediment analysis, RTK GNSS and borehole measurements. In the following weeks and months, the students will analyze the data in small research groups and bring together their results in order to get new insights into the genesis and dynamic evolution of star dunes.
Finally, the students would like to thank Prof. Olaf Bubenzer, Prof. Bernhard Höfle, Dipl.Geogr. Manuel Herzog and Katharina Anders M.Sc. for providing a wide range of methodical and content-related input and for organizing this great practical field trip in an impressive sand dune environment. Shukran!
P.S.: You might also be interested in reading the previous blog posts from the practical field training.