Principal Investigator

Maria Luisa Escobar Pardo

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Utilizing NASA Earth Observations to Assess Sea Level Rise and Develop Optimal Green Infrastructure Plans to Restore Mangrove Habitat and Enhance Coastal Resiliency

In response to projected sea level rise and extreme weather events, Miami Beach and other urban areas surrounding Biscayne Bay are developing adaptive strategies to mitigate the effects of changing environmental conditions. Because the local economy, especially the tourism industry, is intricately tied to coastal...

Principal Investigator

Tamara Dunbarr

 
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Utilizing NASA Earth Observations to Assess the Impact of Extreme Heat on Transit Riders in Phoenix, Arizona

Phoenix, Arizona is home to over 1.5 million people and summer temperatures regularly exceed 106 F (42.1 C). Exposure to extreme temperatures can lead to heat-related illnesses, such as heat stroke and heat exhaustion, and increased heat-related mortality. This has been a chronic public...

Principal Investigator

Hannah Bonestroo

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Utilizing NASA Earth Observations to Assess Thermal Landscapes and Prioritize Greening Initiatives in Tempe, Arizona

Located in the northern Sonoran Desert, Tempe, Arizona, regularly experiences extreme heat, with summer daily maximum temperatures reaching over 100°F. The rapid urbanization of the region in the last 50 years has caused a steady increase in the mean daily air temperature due to the...

Principal Investigator

Huntington Keith

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Utilizing NASA Earth Observations to Assess Urban Forestry as an Adaptation Strategy for Extreme Heat in Ajax, ON, Canada

The town of Ajax, Ontario received a report from Specialists in Energy, Nuclear and Environmental Sciences (SENES) Consultants detailing the likely changes in local weather patterns for 2040-2049. The climate model predicts an increase in the frequency and intensity of monthly rainfall, a decrease in...

Principal Investigator

Julia Heslin

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Utilizing NASA Earth Observations to Assess Urban Heat Island Reduction Strategies in Washoe County, Nevada

Extreme heat events (EHEs) are one of the leading causes of natural hazard-related deaths in the world. With rising global temperatures, these events will continue to increase in frequency, duration, and magnitude. The urban heat island (UHI) effect exacerbates the consequences of EHEs, discourages active...

Principal Investigator

Austin Stone (Project Co-Lead)

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Utilizing NASA Earth Observations to Assess Vegetation Resiliency and Water Quality Concerns to Enhance Green Infrastructure Plans in Light of Extreme Weather Events

In response to projected sea level rise and extreme weather events, Miami Beach and other urban areas surrounding Biscayne Bay are developing adaptive strategies to mitigate the effects of changing environmental conditions. City officials are involved with ongoing efforts to reduce storm damage and monitor...

Principal Investigator

Kaitlyn McHenry

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Utilizing NASA Earth Observations to Assist the National Park Service with Monitoring and Addressing Visibility in Intermountain Region National Parks
 

The National Park Service (NPS) currently utilizes an interagency network of in situ aerosol monitoring stations to estimate light extinction and determine visibility across the public lands that it manages. With these well-defined particle masses and concentrations, the NPS makes estimates of visibility; however...

Principal Investigator

Kaitlyn Bretz

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Classification of five landcover types during summer of 2019 derived from Landsat 8 OLI imagery, layered onto a DEM derived from the USGS National Elevation Database. Blue represents water, grey represents developed land, and the lightest green, green, and dark green represent grassland, deciduous forest, and coniferous forest, respectively. Local stakeholders should be concerned by the advancement of invasive conifers.   Keywords: Ecological Forecasting, USFS, Kaitlyn Bretz, Madison Bradley, Sarah Hafer, Grant Verhulst​

The Mark Twain National Forest (MTNF) encompasses 1.5 million acres of public land in the Ozarks region of southeastern Missouri. The industrial boom between the 1880s and 1920s had devastating effects on the shortleaf pine (Pinus echinata), Missouri’s...

Principal Investigator

Nicholas McVey

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Utilizing NASA Earth Observations to Classify Wetland Extent in Rwanda in Support of United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

Balancing the demands of economic development and environmental protection is a challenge which requires policy-makers to be well informed about the extent and value of key natural ecosystems. Wetlands have long been known to regulate hydrological processes, reduce erosion and flooding, safeguard local biodiversity, mitigate...

Principal Investigator

Mercedes Bartkovich

 
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Greenspace suitability across the City of Atlanta, Georgia. Image Credit: Atlanta Water Resources III Team.

The Mississippi River Basin is the fourth largest drainage basin in the world, and is susceptible to multi-level flood events caused by heavy precipitation, snow melt, and changes in water table levels. Conducting flood analysis during periods of disaster is a challenging endeavor for...