Principal Investigator

Gia Mancini

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An Interactive Model of Mosquito Presence and Distribution to Assist Vector-Borne Disease Management in Western Europe

Vector-borne diseases, caused by pathogens and parasites, are transmitted through living organism carriers known as vectors. Mosquitoes are the most common disease vectors and transmit illnesses such as Zika, West Nile, chikungunya, malaria, dengue, and yellow fever. These diseases affect millions of people around the...

Principal Investigator

Chris Ploetz

 
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Analyzing and Assessing Drought Conditions for Crops across Alabama Using NASA Earth Observations

Drought in Alabama has a major impact on agriculture, causing crop yields to fall well below their normal numbers throughout the state. This project researched drought conditions experienced in 2012 and 2016 and the impact the conditions had on corn production. The Alabama Office...

Principal Investigator

Charlotte Mays

 
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Analyzing and Mapping Landscape Disturbance across Glacier National Park Using a Landsat Time Series

Insects and pathogens cause extensive damage to pine forests in the northwestern United States. Bark beetles in particular cause mortality in pine stands that can impact the timber industry and national parks. Previously, studies have used spectral indices derived from Landsat time series to...

Principal Investigator

Anna Stamatogiannakis

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Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) maximum values derived from composited June 2018 Landsat 8 OLI images of Houston, Texas, are displayed. The green areas indicate the presence of healthy vegetation, whereas the red values indicate the lack of healthy vegetation. NDVI maximum data allow partners to estimate urban tree canopy mortality and recovery for better resource allocation.

In 2011, Texas experienced a severe drought that caused substantial economic and environmental losses. The Texas A&M Forest Service (TFS) estimated that 300 million trees succumbed to the severe drought conditions, with urban areas, in particular, losing about 5.6 million...

Principal Investigator

Tashi Choden

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NASA DEVELOP

Forest disturbances from bark beetle outbreaks are a major concern in Bhutan, known to cause extensive tree mortality to pine and spruce forests. The NASA DEVELOP team partnered with the Ugyen Wangchuck Institute of Conservation and Environmental Research (UWICER), the...

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...