According to the Washington Department of Natural Resources, roughly 36% of large fires in the state since 2010 were caused by lightning. General trends also show a greater increase in the number of lightning-ignited fires over the last three decades...

Intense thunderstorms throughout the Hindu-Kush Himalayan (HKH) region have resulted in an upsurge of lightning-related deaths due to an increase in population. Partnering with the NASA Global Hydrology Resource Center Distributed Active Archive Center, NASA SERVIR Science Coordination Office, Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD), Nepal Department...

In the Madre de Dios region of the Peruvian Amazon, forests are being cleared for mining, timber harvesting, road construction, and hydroelectric dam development. These rapid land use changes are increasing human presence in previously sparsely-populated areas, disrupting ecosystems and increasing the...

Agriculture in the Midwest is dominated by monoculture systems that strip the soil of nutrients, decrease yields, and worsen water quality. Crop diversification and cultivating small grains is economically and ecologically advantageous, but limited in practice due to a lack...

Fisher’s Peak is a 77.5 km² property southeast of Trinidad, Colorado that is planned to become Colorado’s newest state park. The area has experienced limited anthropogenic disturbance and is home to an abundance of unique habitats and species. A...

The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) owns and manages more than 55,000 acres of land in the Southern Appalachian Mountains of western North Carolina. Most of these lands reside within the Oconaluftee River watershed. In this region and watershed...

The effect of urban hotspots is a growing public health concern. In the face of climate change and urbanization, city dwellers are at increasing risk for heat-related illness and mortality. New York City (NYC) is especially vulnerable to heat-related illness...

Ethiopia is home to unique wildlife, biodiversity, and ecosystem services and, like much of the world, is undergoing population growth, development, and land use change. As a result, some biodiverse regions may be at risk of being urbanized, cultivated as...

Rainfall-triggered landslides associated with tropical storms cause devastating damage to the communities in the Dominican Republic and surrounding Caribbean islands. With the predicted increase in the frequency and intensity of storms, the region would benefit from reliable disaster monitoring. Partnering...

Since its introduction in the late 1800s, Russian olive (Elaeagnus augustifolia) has become a widespread invasive shrub that poses a threat to native riparian species in the United States that directly competes with native riparian plants for space and resources...