Heather Tollerud is a Research Physical Scientist at the Earth Resources Observation and Science Center in Sioux Falls, SD.
Heather Tollerud is a Research Physical Scientist at the Earth Resources Observation and Science Center in Sioux Falls, SD. Since joining USGS as a Mendenhall Fellow, she has focused on land surface change, time series remote sensing analysis, land-atmosphere interactions, and drought. She is currently a member of the Land Change Monitoring, Assessment, and Projection (LCMAP) team.
Education
Ph.D. Geoscience, Penn State University
M.S. Astrophysical and Planetary Science, University of Colorado
B.A. Physics, Math, St. Olaf College
Science and Products
19-39. Land Change Monitoring, Assessment, and Projection (LCMAP): Translating imagery and weather into predictions of surface reflectance
Closing Date: January 4, 2021
This Research Opportunity will be filled depending on the availability of funds. All application materials must be submitted through USAJobs by 11:59 pm, US Eastern Standard Time, on the closing date.
How to Apply
Apply Here
19-40. Land Change Monitoring, Assessment, and Projection (LCMAP): Improving the detection of land surface change using satellite time series data
Closing Date: January 4, 2021
This Research Opportunity will be filled depending on the availability of funds. All application materials must be submitted through USAJobs by 11:59 pm, US Eastern Standard Time, on the closing date.
How to Apply
Apply Here
LCMAP Updates: Adding Data on an Annual Basis
Eyes On Earth Episode 22 - Meet the Mendenhall Fellow
Eyes on Earth is a podcast on remote sensing, Earth observation, land change and science, brought to you by the USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center. In this episode, we hear about one scientist’s journey from USGS Mendenhall fellow to full-time USGS researcher.
Trends in tree cover change over three decades related to interannual climate variability and wildfire in California
Toward consistent change detection across irregular remote sensing time series observations
Conterminous United States land-cover change (1985-2016): New insights from annual time series
Hotter drought escalates tree cover declines in blue oak woodlands of California
Investigating the effects of land use and land cover on the relationship between moisture and reflectance using Landsat Time Series
Land change monitoring, assessment, and projection
Training data selection for annual land cover classification for the LCMAP initiative
Lessons learned implementing an operational continuous U.S. national land change monitoring capability: The LCMAP approach
Drought and land-cover conditions in the Great Plains
Non-USGS Publications**
**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
- Science
19-39. Land Change Monitoring, Assessment, and Projection (LCMAP): Translating imagery and weather into predictions of surface reflectance
Closing Date: January 4, 2021
This Research Opportunity will be filled depending on the availability of funds. All application materials must be submitted through USAJobs by 11:59 pm, US Eastern Standard Time, on the closing date.
How to Apply
Apply Here
19-40. Land Change Monitoring, Assessment, and Projection (LCMAP): Improving the detection of land surface change using satellite time series data
Closing Date: January 4, 2021
This Research Opportunity will be filled depending on the availability of funds. All application materials must be submitted through USAJobs by 11:59 pm, US Eastern Standard Time, on the closing date.
How to Apply
Apply Here
LCMAP Updates: Adding Data on an Annual Basis
The USGS Land Change Monitoring, Assessment and Projection (LCMAP) initiative strives to keep data products up-to-date and to make those updated products available quickly for the user community.Eyes On Earth Episode 22 - Meet the Mendenhall Fellow
Eyes on Earth is a podcast on remote sensing, Earth observation, land change and science, brought to you by the USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center. In this episode, we hear about one scientist’s journey from USGS Mendenhall fellow to full-time USGS researcher.
- Multimedia
- Publications
Trends in tree cover change over three decades related to interannual climate variability and wildfire in California
The U.S. State of California has experienced frequent drought events, hotter temperatures and other disruptions to the climate system whose effects on ecosystems have been widely reported in recent decades. Studies primarily confined to specific vegetation communities or species, individual drought incidents, or analysis over a relatively short intervals, has limited our understanding of the broadAuthorsFrancis K Dwomoh, Roger F. Auch, Jesslyn F. Brown, Heather J. TollerudToward consistent change detection across irregular remote sensing time series observations
The use of remote sensing in time series analysis enables wall-to-wall monitoring of the land surface and is critical for assessing and understanding land cover and land use change and for understanding the Earth system as a whole. However, variability in remote sensing observation frequency through time and across space presents challenges for producing consistent change detection results throughAuthorsHeather J. Tollerud, Zhe Zhu, Kelcy Smith, Danika F. Wellington, Reza Hussain, Donna ViolaConterminous United States land-cover change (1985-2016): New insights from annual time series
Sample-based estimates augmented by complete coverage land-cover maps were used to estimate area and describe patterns of annual land-cover change across the conterminous United States (CONUS) between 1985 and 2016. Most of the CONUS land cover remained stable in terms of net class change over this time, but a substantial gross change dynamic was captured by the annual and cumulative time intervalAuthorsRoger F. Auch, Danika Fay Wellington, Janis L. Taylor, Stephen V Stehman, Heather J. Tollerud, Jesslyn F. Brown, Thomas Loveland, Bruce Pengra, Josephine Horton, Zhe Zhu, Alemayehu Midekisa, Kristi Sayler, George Xian, Christopher Barnes, Ryan R. RekerHotter drought escalates tree cover declines in blue oak woodlands of California
California has, in recent years, become a hotspot of interannual climatic variability, recording devastating climate-related disturbances with severe effects on tree resources. Understanding the patterns of tree cover change associated with these events is vital for developing strategies to sustain critical habitats of endemic and threatened vegetation communities. We assessed patterns of tree covAuthorsFrancis K Dwomoh, Jesslyn F. Brown, Heather J. Tollerud, Roger F. AuchInvestigating the effects of land use and land cover on the relationship between moisture and reflectance using Landsat Time Series
To better understand the Earth system, it is important to investigate the interactions between precipitation, land use/land cover (LULC), and the land surface, especially vegetation. An improved understanding of these land-atmosphere interactions can aid understanding of the climate system and modeling of time series satellite data. Here, we investigate the effect of precipitation and LULC on theAuthorsHeather J. Tollerud, Jesslyn F. Brown, Thomas LovelandLand change monitoring, assessment, and projection
There is a pressing need to monitor and understand the rapid land change happening around the world. The U.S. Geological Survey is developing a new capability, called Land Change Monitoring, Assessment, and Projection (LCMAP), to innovate the understanding of land change. This capability is the Earth Resources Observation and Science Center's foundation for an integrated U.S. Geological Survey-widAuthorsJennifer Rover, Jesslyn F. Brown, Roger F. Auch, Kristi Sayler, Terry L. Sohl, Heather J. Tollerud, George XianTraining data selection for annual land cover classification for the LCMAP initiative
The U.S. Geological Survey’s Land Change Monitoring, Assessment, and Projection (LCMAP) initiative characterizes changes in land cover, use, and condition with the goal of producing land change information that improves understanding of the earth system and provides insight into the impacts of land change on society. For LCMAP, all available high-quality data from the Landsat archive is used in aAuthorsQiang Zhou, Heather J. Tollerud, Christopher Barber, Kelcy Smith, Daniel J. ZelenakLessons learned implementing an operational continuous U.S. national land change monitoring capability: The LCMAP approach
Growing demands for temporally specific information on land surface change are fueling a new generation of maps and statistics that can contribute to understanding geographic and temporal patterns of change across large regions, provide input into a wide range of environmental modeling studies, clarify the drivers of change, and provide more timely information for land managers. To meet these needAuthorsJesslyn F. Brown, Heather J. Tollerud, Christopher Barber, Qiang Zhou, John L. Dwyer, James Vogelmann, Thomas Loveland, Curtis Woodcock, Stephen V Stehman, Zhe Zhu, Bruce Pengra, Kelcy Smith, Josephine Horton, George Xian, Roger F. Auch, Terry L. Sohl, Kristi Sayler, Alisa L. Gallant, Daniel Zelenak, Ryan R. Reker, Jennifer R. RoverDrought and land-cover conditions in the Great Plains
Land–atmosphere interactions play a critical role in the Earth system, and a better understanding of these interactions could improve weather and climate models. The interaction among drought, vegetation productivity, and land cover is of particular significance. In a semiarid environment, such as the U.S. Great Plains, droughts can have a large influence on the productivity of agriculture and graAuthorsHeather J. Tollerud, Jesslyn F. Brown, Thomas Loveland, Rezaul Mahmood, Norman B. BlissNon-USGS Publications**
Heather J. Tollerud, Matthew S. Fantle, 2014. The temporal variability of centimeter-scale surface roughness in a playa dust source: Synthetic aperture radar investigation of playa surface dynamics, Remote Sensing of Environment, Volume 154, Pages 285-297, ISSN 0034-4257, doi: 10.1016/j.rse.2014.08.009.**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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