Along the Colorado Front Range, the importance of forest management has gained significant attention due to uncharacteristically intense fires that burned late in 2020. The Cameron Peak Fire, the largest in Colorado’s recorded history, and the CalWood Fire collectively burned an estimated...

Jobos Bay is located on the southern coast of Puerto Rico, which is known for intense hurricane seasons and increased seasonal storm surge. Scientists at Jobos Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (JBNERR) are concerned that sea level rise will exacerbate...

In 2019, the Great Plains experienced unprecedented catastrophic flooding. Large flood events are predicted to increase in frequency and severity, posing risks to communities in this region, particularly Tribal Nations. We used Sentinel-1 C-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (C-SAR), imagery from...

Wildfires have the potential to cause devastating and long-lasting impacts on ecological systems. In the Gila National Forest (Gila NF), wildfire events have occurred with increasing frequency and severity over recent years. These disturbances, such as the historic Whitewater Baldy...

The largest fire in New Mexico’s recorded history, the Whitewater-Baldy Complex Fire, occurred in 2012 in the Gila National Forest (Gila NF). Then, in 2013, the Silver Fire broke historic records for destruction of private property. These disturbances have...

Hawai'i and the U.S. Affiliated Pacific Islands (USAPI) comprise more than 2,000 islands that span thousands of miles of ocean and are home to nearly 1.9 million people. This region is particularly vulnerable to economic, social, and environmental impacts resulting from changes in sea level...

Portions of Amistad National Recreation Area (NRA) are threatened by the presence of an invasive grass species known as giant cane (Arundo donax), which drastically alters riparian habitats by out-competing native vegetation and depleting vital resources. Giant cane does not provide viable habitat or food...

North Dakota and Georgia are two of the largest commercial agricultural producers in the United States, with a combined crop value of over 11 billion dollars. Agriculture management and sustainability practices—such as irrigation patterns and plant and harvest strategies—are crucial to long-term food security. Crop...

Each year, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) releases a Cropland Data Layer (CDL) that serves as a nationwide classification system and statistical service for the United States agriculture industry. The CDL is compiled using Landsat 8 Optical Land Imager (OLI) and Sentinel-2 Multispectral...

Southeastern Arizona is home to unique mountain ranges known as the Sky Islands. Sky islands are biodiversity hotspots and host various ecosystems, ranging from arid deserts to temperate forests. These mountain ecosystems rely on slow-melting snowpack to sustain themselves during dry periods. However, the...