Publications
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Hyperspectral imaging predicts differences in carbon and nitrogen status among representative biocrust functional groups of the Colorado Plateau Hyperspectral imaging predicts differences in carbon and nitrogen status among representative biocrust functional groups of the Colorado Plateau
Biological soil crusts (biocrusts) are widespread soil photosynthetic communities covering about 12% of Earth's land surface and play crucial roles in terrestrial carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycles, yet scalable quantifications of biocrusts and their biogeochemical contributions are notably lacking. While remote sensing has enormous potential to assess, scale, and contextualize biocrusts...
Authors
Dong Yan, Sasha C. Reed, William A. Rutherford, Mostafa Javadian, Robin H. Reibold, Miguel L. Villarreal, Benjamin Poulter, Shujun Song, William K. Smith
Crop type classification, trends, and patterns of central California agricultural fields from 2005 to 2020 Crop type classification, trends, and patterns of central California agricultural fields from 2005 to 2020
California produces many key agricultural products in the United States. Current geospatial agricultural datasets are limited in mapping accuracy, spatial context, or observation period. This study uses machine learning and high-resolution imagery to produce a time series of crop maps to assess crop type trends and patterns across central California from 2005 to 2020. National...
Authors
Britt Windsor Smith, Christopher E. Soulard, Jessica J. Walker
Oil and gas development influences potential for dust emission from the Upper Colorado River Basin, USA Oil and gas development influences potential for dust emission from the Upper Colorado River Basin, USA
Wind erosion and dust emission from drylands have large consequences for ecosystem function and human health. Wind erosion is naturally reduced by soil crusting and sheltering by non-erodible roughness elements such as plants. Land uses that reduce surface roughness and disturb the soil surface can dramatically increase dust emission. Extraction of oil and gas is a common and growing...
Authors
Gayle Loren Tyree, A. Chappell, Miguel L. Villarreal, S. Dhital, Michael C. Duniway, B.L. Edwards, A.M. Faist, T.W. Nauman, N.P. Webb
An ensemble mean method for remote sensing of actual evapotranspiration to estimate water budget response across a restoration landscape An ensemble mean method for remote sensing of actual evapotranspiration to estimate water budget response across a restoration landscape
Estimates of actual evapotranspiration (ETa) are valuable for effective monitoring and management of water resources. In areas that lack ground-based monitoring networks, remote sensing allows for accurate and consistent estimates of ETa across a broad scale—though each algorithm has limitations (i.e., ground-based validation, temporal consistency, spatial resolution). We developed an...
Authors
Roy Petrakis, Laura M. Norman, Miguel L. Villarreal, Gabriel B. Senay, MacKenzie Friedrichs, Florance Cassassuce, Florent Gomis, Pamela L. Nagler
Automated Cropland Fallow Algorithm (ACFA) for the Northern Great Plains of USA Automated Cropland Fallow Algorithm (ACFA) for the Northern Great Plains of USA
Cropland fallowing is choosing not to plant a crop during a season when a crop is normally planted. It is an important component of many crop rotations and can improve soil moisture and health. Knowing which fields are fallow is critical to assess crop productivity and crop water productivity, needed for food security assessments. The annual spatial extent of cropland fallows is poorly...
Authors
Adam Oliphant, Prasad Thenkabail, Pardhasaradhi Teluguntla, Itiya Aneece, Daniel Foley, Richard L. McCormick
Toward a US framework for continuity of satellite observations of Earth's climate and for supporting societal resilience Toward a US framework for continuity of satellite observations of Earth's climate and for supporting societal resilience
There is growing urgency for improved public and commercial services to support a resilient, secure, and thriving United States (US) in the face of mounting decision-support needs for environmental stewardship and hazard response, as well as for climate change adaptation and mitigation. Sustained space-based Earth observations are critical infrastructure to support the delivery of...
Authors
Duane E. Waliser, Waleed Abdalati, Nancy Baker, Stacey Boland, Michael Bonadonna, Carol Anne Clayson, Belay Demoz, Kelsey Foster, Christian Frankenburg, Maria Hakuba, Therese Jorgensen, Ryan J. Kramer, Daniel Limonadi, Anna M. Michalak, Asal Naseri, Pat Patterson, Peter Pilewskie, Steven Platnick, Charlie Powell, Jeff Privette, Chris Ruf, Tapio Schneider, Jorg Schulz, Paul Selmants, Rashmi Shah, Qianqian Song, Graeme Stephens, Timothy S. Stryker
Slope Unit Maker (SUMak): An efficient and parameter-free algorithm for delineating slope units to improve landslide modeling Slope Unit Maker (SUMak): An efficient and parameter-free algorithm for delineating slope units to improve landslide modeling
Slope units are terrain partitions bounded by drainage and divide lines. In landslide modeling, including susceptibility modeling and event-specific modeling of landslide occurrence, slope units provide several advantages over gridded units, such as better capturing terrain geometry, improved incorporation of geospatial landslide-occurrence data in different formats (e.g., point and...
Authors
Jacob Bryson Woodard, Benjamin B. Mirus, Nathan J. Wood, Kate E. Allstadt, Ben Leshchinsky, Matthew Crawford
Ancient infrastructure offers sustainable agricultural solutions to dryland farming Ancient infrastructure offers sustainable agricultural solutions to dryland farming
For 1000 years, human populations in dryland regions of the North American Southwest (NAS) extensively constructed diverse forms of agricultural infrastructure, including canals, linear rock alignments, check dams, stock ponds, and other earthworks and rock structures. The long-term hydrological impacts of these and the demographic and socio-political drivers of construction and...
Authors
Matthew C. Pailes, Laura M. Norman, Christopher H. Baisan, David Meko, Nicolas E. Gauthier, Jose Villanueva-Diaz, Jeff Dean, Jupiter Martinez, Nicholas V Kessler, Ron Towner
An open-source workflow for scaling burn severity metrics from drone to satellite to support post-fire watershed management An open-source workflow for scaling burn severity metrics from drone to satellite to support post-fire watershed management
Wildfires are increasing in size and severity across much of the western United States, exposing vulnerable wildland-urban interfaces to post-fire hazards. The Mediterranean chaparral region of Northern California contains many high sloping watersheds prone to hazardous post-fire flood events and identifying watersheds at high risk of soil loss and debris flows is a priority for post...
Authors
Joshua W. Von Nonn, Miguel L. Villarreal, Leonhard Blesius, Jerry D. Davis, Skye C. Corbett
Trade-offs in adapting to changes in climate, land use, and water availability in California Trade-offs in adapting to changes in climate, land use, and water availability in California
Changes in land use and land cover, water systems, and climate are inextricably linked, and their combined stresses have had severe impacts in many regions worldwide. Integrated adaptation planning can support adaptive capacity by helping institutions manage land and water resources at regional to local scales. Linkages between these stressors mean that planners are often faced with...
Authors
Nathan D. Van Schmidt, Tamara Wilson, Lorraine E. Flint, R. Langridge
An early warning signal for grassland degradation on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau An early warning signal for grassland degradation on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau
Intense grazing may lead to grassland degradation on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, but it is difficult to predict where this will occur and to quantify it. Based on a process-based ecosystem model, we define a productivity-based stocking rate threshold that induces extreme grassland degradation to assess whether and where the current grazing activity in the region is sustainable. We find...
Authors
Qiuan Zhu, Huai Chen, Changhui Peng, Jinxun Liu, Shilong Piao, Jin-Sheng He, Shiping Wang, Xinquan Zhao, Jiang Zhang, Xiuqin Fang, Jiaxin Jin, Qi-En Yang, Liliang Ren, Yanfen Wang
Social vulnerability and geographic access barriers to earthquake early warning education in museums and other free choice learning environments Social vulnerability and geographic access barriers to earthquake early warning education in museums and other free choice learning environments
Given the earthquake risk on the West Coast of the United States, individuals and communities require a basic understanding of ShakeAlert earthquake early warning technology, which may provide crucial seconds of warning. Free choice learning environments (FCLEs), such as museums, public libraries, and national parks, are uniquely positioned to expand the reach of earthquake early warning...
Authors
Danielle F. Sumy, Oronde Oliver Drakes, Sara McBride, Mariah R. Jenkins