Atmospheric scientists analyze satellite data as part of their assessments of atmospheric health. One such satellite, the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO), outputs images of longitudinal cross-sections of the Earth’s atmosphere. Depending on the wavelength of light used in the observation, it is possible to detect the presence of various aerosols. Some are natural sources, like dust storms, and sulfur dioxide from volcanos.
Hot Potato: Preserving Traditional Farming in the Peruvian Andes
Agricultural systems in tropical montane regions are particularly vulnerable in the face of global climate change. Anecdotal evidence from Parque de la Papa, located in the Peruvian Andes, indicates that farmers following traditional practices have moved potato crops to higher elevations seeking suitable growing conditions for the potato varieties they have cultivated for centuries.
Rain or Snow: Precipitation Estimation in the Mountainous West
Shifting hydrologic processes have become a significant problem in California, Oregon, and Washington. In recent years, average winter temperatures have risen, spring snowmelt has occurred earlier, and a greater portion of precipitation has fallen as rain rather than snow in the Sierra Nevada and Cascade mountain ranges.
Ground Truthing Remotely Sensed Observations of Wastewater Plumes
The Hyperion Water Reclamation Plant (HWRP) is one of the largest wastewater treatment plants in the western United States.
Here, There, and Everywhere: Assessing SPB Outbreaks in Alabama
The Southern Pine Beetle (SPB), Dendroctonus frontalis, is an opportunistic species that attacks stressed trees weakened by drought, storm damage, or fire.
Mission to Marsh: Using NASA Satellite Data to Monitor Coastal Marsh
Category: Monitoring Environmental Health and Disturbances Project Team: Mobile Bay Ecological Forecasting Team Location: Mobile County Health Department – Mobile, Alabama Authors: Saranee Dutta Vishal Arya Jeanett Bosarge Courtney Kirkham Tyler Lynn Mentors/Advisors: Dr. Kenton Ross (NASA Langley Research Center) Bernard Eichold, M.D., Dr. PH (Mobile County Health Department) Past/Other Contributors: Tyler Lynn (Center Lead) Abstract: Mobile and Baldwin counties … Read More
Beetle Spruce: Mapping Spruce Mortality in Colorado Forests
Over the last 15 years, Colorado forests have experienced epidemic bark beetle outbreaks with increasing severity.