Principal Investigator

Megs Seeley

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Analyzing Historical Hurricane Influences on Coastal Water Quality and their Impact to Marine Ecosystems

Several major and small-scale hurricanes have swept over the US Virgin Islands (USVI) dating back to 1989. Often originating near the Cabo Verde islands near western Africa, these major hurricanes travel westward towards the USVI, leaving destructive impacts upon landfall. Nearshore marine ecosystems in the...

Principal Investigator

Lael Wakamatsu

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Analyzing NASA Earth Observation Data to Evaluate Grunion Response to Ecosystem Changes Forced by Recent Environmental Conditions in California's Oceans

The California grunion is an endemic fish species vital to the California coast, acting as a versatile food source for many species such as seabirds, large mammals, and other fish in the food web. This species, known primarily for the unique way in which they...

Principal Investigator

Melissa Ferriter

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Image taken from Landsat 8 OLI on July 1, 2019, showing NDVI in the red band, shortwave infrared 2 (band 7) in the green band, and coastal aerosol (band 1) in the blue band. Areas of red indicate vegetated areas, greener areas are burn or bare soil areas, lighter blues are developed areas, and the dark blue indicates water bodies. We used NDVI to find areas of recovering vegetation in the Santa Monica Mountains Area.

The Woolsey Fire began on November 8, 2018, and lasted for almost two weeks, during which it burned almost 100,000 acres of valuable landscape and habitat, including a vast area of woodland. The persistence of key woodland species provides aesthetic...

Principal Investigator

Carter Grimm

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Analyzing the Impact of Environmental Disturbances on Oyster Reef Health in the Mississippi Sound Using NASA Earth Observations

Oysters are vital to the environmental health of the Mississippi Sound and a critical part of Mississippi's economy. Environmental disturbances, such as Hurricane Katrina, major flooding events, and the Bonnet Carré spillway openings, have caused oyster populations to decline and have has negatively affected the...

Principal Investigator

Terra Edenhart-Pepe

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NDWI-processed imagery using 2019 Landsat 8 OLI data with summer 2019 NLDAS precipitation grid cells overlaid. A subset of Maryland is displayed with Ellicott City just above center. Regarding NDWI, lighter shades of blue represent higher surface and plant water content and darker shades approaching black represent lower. Square grid cell color illustrates average hourly rainfall with magenta squares denoting the highest rainfall. Together, high NDWI and precipitation suggest greater flood risk.

As flooding events in the United States grow in frequency and intensity, the use of technological advancements and applied science is increasingly necessary for effective flood monitoring and warning systems. Governments are exploring new ways of using science and technology to...

Principal Investigator

Eli Simonson

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Assessing and Assisting Monitoring Efforts of Water Clarity to Identify Potential Areas of Submerged Aquatic Vegetation (SAV) in the Chesapeake Bay

Submerged Aquatic Vegetation (SAV) is vitally important to the Chesapeake Bay, serving as one of the primary food sources for the organisms that inhabit the bay. This project evaluated the efficacy of remote sensing applications to monitor water quality parameters, specifically turbidity, to indicate areas...

Principal Investigator

Gavin Pirrie

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NDVI processed imagery from Suomi-NPP VIIRS in late June 2019 composited with elevation and aspect from the NED. The Henry Mountains in southern Utah are displayed. The lighter yellows and pinks indicate higher elevations and greater vegetation concentration where darker colors, including green and blue, indicate lower elevations and areas concentrated with less vegetation. Areas with higher vegetation indices indicate higher live fuel moisture content which aids decision-makers in allocating resources before and during wildfires.  Keywords: NDVI, aspect, elevation, live fuel moisture, Gavin Pirrie, Helena Bierly, Avery King, Katherine Mistick

The eastern Great Basin (EGB) extends throughout the states of Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Utah, and Wyoming, covering approximately 411,000 km2. In recent years, wildfires in the EGB have increased in frequency and size, representing a growing concern for our partners...

Principal Investigator

Flavia Dias de Souza Moraes

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Assessing Changes in Cloud Dynamics in the Luquillo Tropical Montane Cloud Forest Using NASA Earth Observations and In Situ Measurements Following Defoliation from Hurricane Maria

The Luquillo Mountains in the El Yunque National Forest contain the most biologically diverse forest in the United States. It is a cloud forest rich in endemic species and its streams bring clean water to the people of Puerto Rico. This unique environment was exposed...

Principal Investigator

Dionne Blanks (Project Co-Lead)

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Assessing Changes in Vegetation and Marine Environments at the Isla del Coco Marine Reserve with Satellite Imagery

The Isla del Coco Marine Reserve, located off the coast of Costa Rica, is experiencing several environmental challenges including rising sea surface temperature (SST), coral reef bleaching, coastal erosion, and loss of cloud coverage above its cloud forest. These challenges not only threaten the well-being...

Principal Investigator

Sabine Nix

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NDWI (2013-2020) and supervised land cover classification (2020) from Landsat 8 OLI imagery, SRTM elevation, global HAND data, and FEMA 100 and 500 year floodplains combined into a flood risk map near the headwaters of the Cheat River in Parson’s West Virginia. High-risk flood areas are represented in dark purple, while low-risk areas are light yellow. High-risk areas indicate where local organizations can prioritize flood mitigation and response efforts.  Keywords: Landsat 8 OLI, Flood Risk, SRTM, NLCD, Supervised Classification, FEMA, Flood Extent

The Cheat River, primarily located in northeast West Virginia, experiences major flooding events that negatively impact nearby communities. Poor water quality due to acid mine drainage and excess sediment loads during flood events threaten the health of communities and numerous...