Remote Sensing of Aquatic Ecology, Biogeochemistry, Biodiversity

Satellite observations offer environmental monitoring and water resource management communities a unique capability to observe changes in water conditions across spatial and temporal scales not feasible with field-based monitoring alone. Research in the LOA Lab combines satellite data sets with multidisciplinary observations of atmospheric, terrestrial and aquatic processes to study impacts of anthropogenic and natural disturbance on aquatic ecology, biogeochemistry and biodiversity. Some of our work is conducted as part of preparation efforts for future satellite missions, including PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem), GLIMR (Geostationary Littoral Imaging and Monitoring Radiometer) and SBG (Surface Biology and Geology), to inform measurement requirements and optimal remote sensing design of new satellite sensors and mitigate risks while maximizing the return of future NASA satellite missions.

Selected Publications and Related Links: 

Developing a community of practice for applied uses of future PACE data to address food security challenges

An overview of approaches and challenges for retrieving marine inherent optical properties from ocean color remote sensing

Satellite sensor requirements for monitoring essential biodiversity variables of coastal ecosystems

Coastal observations from a New Vantage Point: The NASA GEO-CAPE ocean mission

Remote Sensing retrievals of colored dissolved organic matter and dissolved organic carbon in North American eutrophic estuaries and their margins: implications on studies of carbon dynamics

PACE Applications Plan

A Global View of COVID-19 impacts

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Using a combination of satellite data and field observations, our team has been studying the impacts of the global coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on nitrogen pollution, air-quality, water-quality, and biogeochemical processes in the New York metropolitan area. One of the main goals of this research is to quantify the responses of phytoplankton and bacterial assemblages in Long Island Sound to COVID-19 related shifts in nutrient quality.

As part of these efforts our group has been contributing to the joint tri-agency NASA/ESA/JAXA COVID-19 Earth Observation Dashboard, which integrates multiple satellite data records with analytical tools to allow user-friendly tracking of changes in air and water quality, climate change, economic activity, and agriculture. You can learn more about this effort HERE