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Dr. rer. nat. Benjamin D. Gutknecht

Scientific Staff Member

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© Gutknecht

Biography

Ben joined the APMG group at the Institute of Geodesy and Geoinformation (IGG) in July 2022. As a member of the Collaborative Research Centre 1502 DETECT, he analyses terrestrial water mass budgets over major river catchments. Besides a doctorate and diploma in geophysics, he also earned minor degrees in physical oceanography and extraterrestrial physics from Kiel University. 

Ben's work has a special focus on gravimetry-related Earth system research, such as the interpretation of water mass re-distribution, and the observation of tectonic settings in static and time-varying potential fields. Recent interests include correlation- and trend-analyses, targeting multi-annual climate-phenomena and the identification of potential impacts from both human activity and solar variability in the combination of heterogeneous data sets. He is also one of the engeneers maintaining the institute's iGrav superconducting gravimeter at the Todenfeld Observatory. Previous works include 3D density- and stress-modelling from full tensor satellite gradiometry, and studies of sea-level and ocean mass budgets for the European Space Agency (ESA) at TU Dresden and for Uni Bristol in the ERC GlobalMass project. 

  • Dr. rer. nat. (2015), Institute of Geosciences, CAU Kiel, Germany
  • Dipl.-Geophys. (2010), Institute of Geosciences, CAU Kiel, Germany
  • Since 2022 Wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter im Sonderforschungsbereich 1502 (DETECT), Institut für Geodäsie und Geoinformation (Professur für Astronomische Physikalische und Mathematische Geodäsie), Universität Bonn.
  • 2017 – 2022 Wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter, Institut für Planetare Geodäsie (Professur für Geodätische Erdsystemforschung), TU Dresden; Projekte ESA CCI SLBC & UBristol ERC GlobalMass.
  • 2010 – 2015 PhD (Dr. rer. nat.); Wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter am Institut für Geowissenschaften (Professur für Geophysik und Geoinformation), CAU Kiel.
  • 2006 – 2007 Student Scientific Assistant, Statoil Research Centre, Trondheim, Norway.
  • 2003 – 2010 Dipl.-Geophys., Institut für Geowissenschaften (Professur für Geophysik und Geoinformation), CAU Kiel.
  • Ozeanische & Terrestrische Massenbudgets und interannuale Klima-Variabilität, Zeitreihenanalyse.
  • Terrestrische und Satellitengravimetrie und Full-Tensor-Gradiometrie.
  • Raumzeitliche Modellierung von Dichte- und Massenänderungen anhand von Schwerefeldvariationen.
  • Heliosphärenphysik und Planetare Geophysik, Tektonophysik.
  • Orbit dynamics and rocketry
  • Semantik in KI-Systemen
  • B58-APMG Übungen
  • Blockmodul M25-Grav (Gravimetrie)
  • Outreach Events für Schüler:innen
ORCiD: 0000-0002-0186-3014

  1. Hacker, C., Gutknecht, B. D., Löcher, A, and Kusche, J. (2026). Multidecadal reconstruction of terrestrial water storage changes by combining pre-GRACE satellite observations and climate data. Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 18, 1747–1781, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-18-1747-2026, 2026.

  2. Lopes, F., Schindelegger, M., Gutknecht, B., and Kusche, J. (2026). Dynamically downscaled European water budget quantities in the presence of sea surface temperature uncertainty. J. Hydrometeor., 27, 129–149, https://doi.org/10.1175/JHM-D-25-0018.1.

  3. Gutknecht, B., Kusche, J., and Lopes, F. (2025). Catchment-Averaged Monthly Water Budget Net Flux Timeseries 2002--2011 from ICON v2.6.4 Simulations, GRACE TWS, and GRDC Discharge over the EURO-CORDEX Domain. [DATASET]. https://zenodo.org/doi/10.5281/zenodo.17954262.

  4. Roque, J. L., Da Silva Lopes, F., Giles, J. A., Gutknecht, B. D., Schalge, B., Zhang, Y., Ferro, M., Friedrichs, P., Goergen, K., Poll, S., and Valmassoi, A. (2025). Intercomparison of a High-Resolution Regional Climate Model Ensemble for Catchment-Scale Water Cycle Processes under Human Influence. Preprint (in revision 2026-03). https://arxiv.org/abs/2511.02799.

  5. Gutknecht, B. (2025). Catchment-Averaged Monthly Evaporation Timeseries 1984--2020 Derived from GRACE-like TWS Change via Terrestrial Water Budgets. [DATASET]. https://zenodo.org/doi/10.5281/zenodo.16643627.

  6. Li, F., Springer, A., Kusche, J., Gutknecht, B., Ewerdwalbesloh, Y. (2025). Reanalysis and Forecasting of Total Water Storage and Hydrological States by Combining Machine Learning With CLM Model Simulations and GRACE Data Assimilation. 61(2), e2024WR037926, https://doi.org/10.1029/2024WR037926.

  7. Horwath, M., Gutknecht, B. D., and the SLBC CCI Team (2022) Global sea-level budget and ocean-mass budget, with focus on advanced data products and uncertainty characterisation. Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 14, 411–447, 2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-411-2022.

  8. International Altimetry Team (2021) Altimetry for the future: Building on 25 years of progress. Advances in Space Research, Special Issue "25 Years of Progress in Radar Altimetry", https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asr.2021.01.022.

  9. Cáceres, D., Marzeion, B., Malles, J.-H., Gutknecht, B. D., Müller Schmied, H., and Döll, P. (2020) Assessing global water mass transfers from continents to oceans over the period 1948--2016. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 1--37, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-4831-2020, [referenced contribution to IPCC AR6].

  10. Raj, R. P., Andersen, O. B., Johannessen, J. A., Gutknecht, B. D., Chatterjee, S., Rose, S. K., Bonaduce, A., Horwath, M., Ranndal, H., Richter, K., Palanisamy, H., Ludwigsen, C. A., Bertino, L., Nilsen, J. E. Ø., Knudsen, P., Hogg, A., Cazenave, A., Benveniste, J. (2020) Arctic Sea Level Budget Assessment during the GRACE/Argo Period. Remote Sensing, 12(17), 2837, https://doi.org/10.3390/rs12172837.

  11. Moreno, M., Li, S., Melnick, D., Bedford, J. R., Baez, J. C., Motagh, M., Metzger, S., Vajedian, S., Sippl, C., Gutknecht, B. D., Contreras-Reyes, E., Deng, Z., Tassara, A., and Oncken, O. (2018) Chilean megathrust earthquake recurrence linked to frictional contrast at depth. Nature Geoscience, 11(4), 285–290, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-018-0089-5.

  12. Gutknecht, B. D. (2015) Application of Satellite Gradiometry and Terrestrial Gravimetry to Identify Regional Stress Anomalies in the North Chilean Subduction System. Dissertation, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel.

  13. Gutknecht, B. D., Götze, H.-J., Jahr, T., Jentzsch, G., Mahatsente, R., Zeumann, St. (2014) Structure and State of Stress of the Chilean Subduction Zone from Terrestrial and Satellite-Derived Gravity and Gravity Gradient Data, Surveys in Geophysics, SPP1257, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10712-014-9296-9.

  14. Hosse, M., Pail, R., Horwath, M., Holzrichter, N., Gutknecht, B. D. (2014) Combined regional gravity model of the Andean convergent subduction zone and its application to lithospheric modelling in active plate margins, Surveys in Geophysics, SPP1257, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10712-014-9307-x.

  15. Köther, N., Götze, H.-J., Gutknecht, B. D., Jahr, T., Gentzsch, G., Lücke, O. H., Mahtsente, R., Sharma, R., Zeumann, S. (2012) The seismically active Andean and Central American margins: Can satellite gravity map lithospheric structures?, Journal of Geodynamics, 59–60, pp. 207–218, doi:10.1016/j.jog.2011.11.004, http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264370711001256.

  16. Gutknecht, B. D. (2011) Lithospheric Modelling by Using Optimized GOCE Gravity Gradient Data. In: Ouwehand, L. (Ed.), Proceedings of the 4th International GOCE User Workshop, Munich, ESA Special Publication SP-696, ISBN 978-92-9092-260-5.

  17. Gutknecht, B. D., Götze, H.-J., Alvers, M. (2010) Semantically optimized Literature Research by a new CCS Ontology. In: Zipf, A., "Geoinformatik 2010: Die Welt im Netz." Konferenzband 17.–19. März 2010 Kiel. Heidelberg, Germany: Akademische Verlagsgesellschaft AKA GmbH, 2010, p. 215 ff.

  18. Gutknecht, B. D. (2010) Zur Ontologischen Suche bei Recherchen in der CCS-Literatur. Diploma thesis, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel.

Contact

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Dr. rer. nat. Benjamin Gutknecht

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