Cynthia Wallace
Cynthia Wallace is a Research Geographer with the U. S. Geological Survey’s Southwest Geographic Science Team.
Her current research uses satellite imagery, spatial analysis and GIS to inform natural resource management, map natural phenomena, and characterize the spatial and temporal variability of the landscape. She earned a Ph. D. in Geography and Regional Development from the University of Arizona. Her doctoral research used Fourier transforms and geostatistics to extract temporal and spatial information from remotely sensed data for mapping wildlife habitat. Prior to her position with the USGS, Cynthia worked at the Arizona Remote Sensing Center on the University of Arizona campus, where she contributed to several interdisciplinary projects. Cynthia also has a background in geology: she earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and geology from the University of Minnesota at Duluth, a Masters degree in geology from the University of Wisconsin at Madison, and she worked as a minerals exploration geologist for over 12 years.
Professional Experience
11/04 to present: Research Geographer, U.S. Geological Survey
2/02 to 11/04: Geographer, U.S. Geological Survey
6/95 to 11/02: Research Assistant, Arizona Remote Sensing Center, U. of Arizona Raster and vector data processing and analysis, primarily for land use and land cover mapping change detection, and landscape trend analysis; generation, interpretation and analysis of data using a variety of image processing, GIS, and statistical software packages; grant, proposal, and report writing
9/95 to 2/02: Graduate Research and Teaching Assistant, Department of Geography and Regional Development, U. of Arizona
Investigate and apply geostatistics and signal processing techniques to remote sensing data to extract measures of landscape structure and temporal dynamics. Interpret and apply research results to characterize habitat and environments. Instructor: Introduction to Remote Sensing
1/93 to 7/93: Owner/Instructor of an after-school mathematics program
Established an after school math class using a Kumon franchise.
1985 to 1993: District Geologist (9/91-1/93), Advanced Geologist (1-85 to 3-90), Pennzoil Sulphur Company, Houston, Texas
Responsible for domestic frontier exploration program as District Geologist.
1981 to 1985: Exploration Geologist, Duval Corporation, Tucson, Arizona
Exploration for sulfur and potash, phosphate and borates.
9/78 to 6/80: Research Assistant, Geology and Geophys. Dept., U. of Wi.-Madison,
Structure determinations and identification of crystalline solids using x-ray diffraction and electron microprobe techniques.
Education and Certifications
PhD in Geography University of Arizona-Tucson 2002
MA in Geography University of Arizona-Tucson 1987
MS in Geology University of Wisconsin-Madison 1980
BS in Math and Geology University of Minnesota-Duluth 1978, Magna cum Laude
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 26
Quantifying soil surface change in degraded drylands: shrub encroachment and effects of fire and vegetation removal in a desert grassland
Woody plant encroachment, a worldwide phenomenon, is a major driver of land degradation in desert grasslands. Woody plant encroachment by shrub functional types ultimately leads to the formation of a patchy landscape with fertile shrub patches interspaced with nutrient-depleted bare soil patches. This is considered to be an irreversible process of land and soil degradation. Recent studies have ind
Authors
Joel B. Sankey, Sujith Ravi, Cynthia S.A. Wallace, Robert H. Webb, Travis E. Huxman
Examining wildlife responses to phenology and wildfire using a landscape-scale camera trap network
Between 2001 and 2009, the Borderlands Jaguar Detection Project deployed 174 camera traps in the mountains of southern Arizona to record jaguar activity. In addition to jaguars, the motion-activated cameras, placed along known wildlife travel routes, recorded occurrences of ~ 20 other animal species. We examined temporal relationships of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and javelina (Pec
Authors
Miguel L. Villarreal, Leila Gass, Laura Norman, Joel B. Sankeya, Cynthia S.A. Wallace, Dennis McMacken, Jack L. Childs, Roy E. Petrakis
Development of a high-resolution binational vegetation map of the Santa Cruz River riparian corridor and surrounding watershed, southern Arizona and northern Sonora, Mexico
This report summarizes the development of a binational vegetation map developed for the Santa Cruz Watershed, which straddles the southern border of Arizona and the northern border of Sonora, Mexico. The map was created as an environmental input to the Santa Cruz Watershed Ecosystem Portfolio Model (SCWEPM) that is being created by the U.S. Geological Survey for the watershed. The SCWEPM is a map-
Authors
Cynthia S.A. Wallace, Miguel L. Villarreal, Laura M. Norman
Mapping perennial vegetation cover in the Mojave Desert
Scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey's Western Geographic Science Center have recently created a regional map of perennial vegetation cover for the Mojave Desert. The scientists used existing field data collected for a variety of previous studies and satellite data available for free through USGS archives to create a calibrated model of percent vegetation cover, an important attribute of des
Authors
Cynthia S.A. Wallace
A high-resolution land-use map; Nogales, Sonora, Mexico
The cities of Nogales, Sonora, and Nogales, Arizona, are located in the Ambos Nogales Watershed, a topographically irregular bowl-shaped area with a northward gradient. Throughout history, residents in both cities have been affected by flooding. Currently, the primary method for regulating this runoff is to build a series of detention basins in Nogales, Sonora. Additionally, the municipality also
Authors
Laura M. Norman, Miguel L. Villarreal, Cynthia S.A. Wallace, Claudia Z. Gil Anaya, Israel Diaz Arcos, Floyd Gray
Modeling habitat of the desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) in the Mojave and parts of the Sonoran Deserts of California, Nevada, Utah, and Arizona
Habitat modeling is an important tool used to simulate the potential distribution of a species for a variety of basic and applied questions. The desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) is a federally listed threatened species in the Mojave Desert and parts of the Sonoran Desert of California, Nevada, Utah, and Arizona. Land managers in this region require reliable information about the potential dist
Authors
Kenneth E. Nussear, Todd C. Esque, Richard D. Inman, Leila Gass, Kathryn A. Thomas, Cynthia S.A. Wallace, Joan B. Blainey, David M. Miller, Robert H. Webb
Elevation Derivatives for Mojave Desert Tortoise Habitat
This report describes the methods used to derive various elevation-derivative grids that were inputted to the Mojave Desert Tortoise Habitat model (L. Gass and others, unpub. data). These grids, which capture information on surface roughness and topographic characteristics, are a subset of the environmental datasets evaluated for the tortoise habitat model. This habitat model is of major importanc
Authors
Cynthia S.A. Wallace, Leila Gass
Mapping Land Use/Land Cover in the Ambos Nogales Study Area
The Ambos Nogales watershed, which surrounds the twin cities of Nogales, Arizona, United States and Nogales, Sonora, Mexico, has a history of problems related to flooding. This paper describes the process of creating a high-resolution, binational land-cover dataset to be used in modeling the Ambos Nogales watershed. The Automated Geospatial Watershed Assessment tool will be used to model the Ambos
Authors
Laura M. Norman, Cynthia S.A. Wallace
An annual plant growth proxy in the Mojave Desert using MODIS-EVI data
In the arid Mojave Desert, the phenological response of vegetation is largely dependent upon the timing and amount of rainfall, and maps of annual plant cover at any one point in time can vary widely. Our study developed relative annual plant growth models as proxies for annual plant cover using metrics that captured phenological variability in Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS)
Authors
C.S.A. Wallace, K.A. Thomas
Estimation of perennial vegetation cover distribution in the Mojave Desert using MODIS-EVI data
This paper details a method to create regional models of perennial vegetation cover using pre-existing field data and satellite imagery. Total cover of perennial vegetation is an important ecological attribute of desert ecosystems, including the Mojave Desert, USA, an area of 125,000 km2. Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer Enhanced Vegetation Index (MODIS-EVI) data were coupled with mea
Authors
C.S.A. Wallace, R. H. Webb, K.A. Thomas
Channel response to low-elevation desert fire: The King Valley Fire of 2005
In late September to early October 2005, a fire swept north from the Yuma Proving Grounds and into the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), traveling mainly along desert wash systems and low-relief alluvial fans. This fire burned 9,975 ha, moving through xeroriparian systems in washes as well as low-elevation desert ecosystems in King Valley, a major area of designated wilderness in the southern p
Authors
Robert H. Webb, Peter G. Griffiths, Cynthia S.A. Wallace, Diane E. Boyer
Mapping moderate-scale land-cover over very large geographic areas within a collaborative framework: A case study of the Southwest Regional Gap Analysis Project (SWReGAP)
Land-cover mapping efforts within the USGS Gap Analysis Program have traditionally been state-centered; each state having the responsibility of implementing a project design for the geographic area within their state boundaries. The Southwest Regional Gap Analysis Project (SWReGAP) was the first formal GAP project designed at a regional, multi-state scale. The project area comprises the southweste
Authors
J. Lowry, R.D. Ramsey, K. Thomas, D. Schrupp, T. Sajwaj, J. Kirby, E. Waller, S. Schrader, S. Falzarano, L. Langs, G. Manis, C. Wallace, K. Schulz, P. Comer, K. Pohs, W. Rieth, C. Velasquez, B. Wolk, W. Kepner, K. Boykin, L. O'Brien, D. Bradford, B. Thompson, J. Prior-Magee
Non-USGS Publications**
Lowry, J.H., Jr., R.D. Ramsey, K. Boykin, D. Bradford, P. Comer, S. Falzarano, W. Kepner, J. Kirby, L. Langs, J. Prior-Magee, G. Manis, L. O’Brien, T. Sajwaj, K.A. Thomas, W. Rieth, S. Schrader, D. Schrupp, K. Schulz, B. Thompson, C. Velasquez, C. Wallace, E. Waller and B. Wolk. 2005. Southwest Regional Gap Analysis Project: Final Report on Land Cover Mapping Methods, RS/GIS Laboratory, Utah State University, Logan, Utah.
Brooks, M.L., J.R. Matchett, C. Wallace, and T. Esque. 2004. Fuels and fire hazard assessment in a desert ecosystem. Arid Lands Newsletter, Vol. 55
Hutchinson, C.F.; Marsh, S.E.; Wallace, C.S.A.; Walker, J.J.; Mauz, K.; Krausman, P.R.; Boyd, H.;, Enns, R.M.; Salazar, H.; Howery, L.D.; and Trobia E. 2000. Informing the Elk Debate: Applying NASA Earth Observing System (EOS) Data to Natural Resource Management Conflicts in the Western States: National Park Service Annual Report, University of Arizona. 51p.
Wallace, C.S.A.; Watts, J. M. and Yool, S. R. 2000. Characterizing the Landscape Structure of Vegetation Communities in the Mojave Desert Using Geostatistical Techniques: Computers and Geosciences. v. 26, no. 4, p. 397-410.
O’Brien, J. Prior-Magee, D. Bradford and B. Thompson,2006. Land cover classification and mapping. Chapter 2 in J.S. Prior-Magee, ed. Southwest Regional Gap Analysis Final Report. U.S. Geological Survey, Gap Analysis Program, Moscow, ID.
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
Science and Products
- Publications
Filter Total Items: 26
Quantifying soil surface change in degraded drylands: shrub encroachment and effects of fire and vegetation removal in a desert grassland
Woody plant encroachment, a worldwide phenomenon, is a major driver of land degradation in desert grasslands. Woody plant encroachment by shrub functional types ultimately leads to the formation of a patchy landscape with fertile shrub patches interspaced with nutrient-depleted bare soil patches. This is considered to be an irreversible process of land and soil degradation. Recent studies have indAuthorsJoel B. Sankey, Sujith Ravi, Cynthia S.A. Wallace, Robert H. Webb, Travis E. HuxmanExamining wildlife responses to phenology and wildfire using a landscape-scale camera trap network
Between 2001 and 2009, the Borderlands Jaguar Detection Project deployed 174 camera traps in the mountains of southern Arizona to record jaguar activity. In addition to jaguars, the motion-activated cameras, placed along known wildlife travel routes, recorded occurrences of ~ 20 other animal species. We examined temporal relationships of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and javelina (PecAuthorsMiguel L. Villarreal, Leila Gass, Laura Norman, Joel B. Sankeya, Cynthia S.A. Wallace, Dennis McMacken, Jack L. Childs, Roy E. PetrakisDevelopment of a high-resolution binational vegetation map of the Santa Cruz River riparian corridor and surrounding watershed, southern Arizona and northern Sonora, Mexico
This report summarizes the development of a binational vegetation map developed for the Santa Cruz Watershed, which straddles the southern border of Arizona and the northern border of Sonora, Mexico. The map was created as an environmental input to the Santa Cruz Watershed Ecosystem Portfolio Model (SCWEPM) that is being created by the U.S. Geological Survey for the watershed. The SCWEPM is a map-AuthorsCynthia S.A. Wallace, Miguel L. Villarreal, Laura M. NormanMapping perennial vegetation cover in the Mojave Desert
Scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey's Western Geographic Science Center have recently created a regional map of perennial vegetation cover for the Mojave Desert. The scientists used existing field data collected for a variety of previous studies and satellite data available for free through USGS archives to create a calibrated model of percent vegetation cover, an important attribute of desAuthorsCynthia S.A. WallaceA high-resolution land-use map; Nogales, Sonora, Mexico
The cities of Nogales, Sonora, and Nogales, Arizona, are located in the Ambos Nogales Watershed, a topographically irregular bowl-shaped area with a northward gradient. Throughout history, residents in both cities have been affected by flooding. Currently, the primary method for regulating this runoff is to build a series of detention basins in Nogales, Sonora. Additionally, the municipality alsoAuthorsLaura M. Norman, Miguel L. Villarreal, Cynthia S.A. Wallace, Claudia Z. Gil Anaya, Israel Diaz Arcos, Floyd GrayModeling habitat of the desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) in the Mojave and parts of the Sonoran Deserts of California, Nevada, Utah, and Arizona
Habitat modeling is an important tool used to simulate the potential distribution of a species for a variety of basic and applied questions. The desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) is a federally listed threatened species in the Mojave Desert and parts of the Sonoran Desert of California, Nevada, Utah, and Arizona. Land managers in this region require reliable information about the potential distAuthorsKenneth E. Nussear, Todd C. Esque, Richard D. Inman, Leila Gass, Kathryn A. Thomas, Cynthia S.A. Wallace, Joan B. Blainey, David M. Miller, Robert H. WebbElevation Derivatives for Mojave Desert Tortoise Habitat
This report describes the methods used to derive various elevation-derivative grids that were inputted to the Mojave Desert Tortoise Habitat model (L. Gass and others, unpub. data). These grids, which capture information on surface roughness and topographic characteristics, are a subset of the environmental datasets evaluated for the tortoise habitat model. This habitat model is of major importancAuthorsCynthia S.A. Wallace, Leila GassMapping Land Use/Land Cover in the Ambos Nogales Study Area
The Ambos Nogales watershed, which surrounds the twin cities of Nogales, Arizona, United States and Nogales, Sonora, Mexico, has a history of problems related to flooding. This paper describes the process of creating a high-resolution, binational land-cover dataset to be used in modeling the Ambos Nogales watershed. The Automated Geospatial Watershed Assessment tool will be used to model the AmbosAuthorsLaura M. Norman, Cynthia S.A. WallaceAn annual plant growth proxy in the Mojave Desert using MODIS-EVI data
In the arid Mojave Desert, the phenological response of vegetation is largely dependent upon the timing and amount of rainfall, and maps of annual plant cover at any one point in time can vary widely. Our study developed relative annual plant growth models as proxies for annual plant cover using metrics that captured phenological variability in Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS)AuthorsC.S.A. Wallace, K.A. ThomasEstimation of perennial vegetation cover distribution in the Mojave Desert using MODIS-EVI data
This paper details a method to create regional models of perennial vegetation cover using pre-existing field data and satellite imagery. Total cover of perennial vegetation is an important ecological attribute of desert ecosystems, including the Mojave Desert, USA, an area of 125,000 km2. Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer Enhanced Vegetation Index (MODIS-EVI) data were coupled with meaAuthorsC.S.A. Wallace, R. H. Webb, K.A. ThomasChannel response to low-elevation desert fire: The King Valley Fire of 2005
In late September to early October 2005, a fire swept north from the Yuma Proving Grounds and into the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), traveling mainly along desert wash systems and low-relief alluvial fans. This fire burned 9,975 ha, moving through xeroriparian systems in washes as well as low-elevation desert ecosystems in King Valley, a major area of designated wilderness in the southern pAuthorsRobert H. Webb, Peter G. Griffiths, Cynthia S.A. Wallace, Diane E. BoyerMapping moderate-scale land-cover over very large geographic areas within a collaborative framework: A case study of the Southwest Regional Gap Analysis Project (SWReGAP)
Land-cover mapping efforts within the USGS Gap Analysis Program have traditionally been state-centered; each state having the responsibility of implementing a project design for the geographic area within their state boundaries. The Southwest Regional Gap Analysis Project (SWReGAP) was the first formal GAP project designed at a regional, multi-state scale. The project area comprises the southwesteAuthorsJ. Lowry, R.D. Ramsey, K. Thomas, D. Schrupp, T. Sajwaj, J. Kirby, E. Waller, S. Schrader, S. Falzarano, L. Langs, G. Manis, C. Wallace, K. Schulz, P. Comer, K. Pohs, W. Rieth, C. Velasquez, B. Wolk, W. Kepner, K. Boykin, L. O'Brien, D. Bradford, B. Thompson, J. Prior-MageeNon-USGS Publications**
Lowry, J.H., Jr., R.D. Ramsey, K. Boykin, D. Bradford, P. Comer, S. Falzarano, W. Kepner, J. Kirby, L. Langs, J. Prior-Magee, G. Manis, L. O’Brien, T. Sajwaj, K.A. Thomas, W. Rieth, S. Schrader, D. Schrupp, K. Schulz, B. Thompson, C. Velasquez, C. Wallace, E. Waller and B. Wolk. 2005. Southwest Regional Gap Analysis Project: Final Report on Land Cover Mapping Methods, RS/GIS Laboratory, Utah State University, Logan, Utah.Brooks, M.L., J.R. Matchett, C. Wallace, and T. Esque. 2004. Fuels and fire hazard assessment in a desert ecosystem. Arid Lands Newsletter, Vol. 55Hutchinson, C.F.; Marsh, S.E.; Wallace, C.S.A.; Walker, J.J.; Mauz, K.; Krausman, P.R.; Boyd, H.;, Enns, R.M.; Salazar, H.; Howery, L.D.; and Trobia E. 2000. Informing the Elk Debate: Applying NASA Earth Observing System (EOS) Data to Natural Resource Management Conflicts in the Western States: National Park Service Annual Report, University of Arizona. 51p.Wallace, C.S.A.; Watts, J. M. and Yool, S. R. 2000. Characterizing the Landscape Structure of Vegetation Communities in the Mojave Desert Using Geostatistical Techniques: Computers and Geosciences. v. 26, no. 4, p. 397-410.O’Brien, J. Prior-Magee, D. Bradford and B. Thompson,2006. Land cover classification and mapping. Chapter 2 in J.S. Prior-Magee, ed. Southwest Regional Gap Analysis Final Report. U.S. Geological Survey, Gap Analysis Program, Moscow, ID.**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
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