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Jennifer Rover

Jennifer is a research geographer with the US Geological Survey at the USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center in Sioux Falls, SD. Her research focus includes investigating and characterizing inland lake and wetland dynamics and related ecosystem components.

Jennifer is a research geographer with the US Geological Survey at the USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center in Sioux Falls, SD. Her research focus includes investigating and characterizing inland lake and wetland dynamics and related ecosystem components. Approaches utilize remotely sensed data and geographic information science to infer hydrological processes in lakes, rivers, and wetlands and assess influences from upland land cover and land cover change. Jennifer also leads the Applied Science component for Land Change Monitoring, Assessment, and Projection (LCMAP) initiative. The LCMAP Applied Science team develops innovative applications with time-series land cover change science products. New applications are relevant to partner and stakeholder needs while providing opportunities that enable user feedback to be incorporated into future research and product development. Engagement with the community by means of various mechanisms are an ongoing and important aspect of LCMAP.

Science and Products

Filter Total Items: 28

Analyzing the effects of land cover change on the water balance for case study watersheds in different forested ecosystems in the USA

We analyzed impacts of interannual disturbance on the water balance of watersheds in different forested ecosystem case studies across the United States from 1985 to 2016 using a remotely sensed long-term land cover monitoring record (U.S. Geological Survey Land Change Monitoring, Assessment, and Projection (LCMAP) Collection 1.0 Science products), gridded precipitation and evaporation data, and st
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Earth Resources Observation and Science Center, Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center

Vulnerable waters are essential to watershed resilience

Watershed resilience is the ability of a watershed to maintain its characteristic system state while concurrently resisting, adapting to, and reorganizing after hydrological (for example, drought, flooding) or biogeochemical (for example, excessive nutrient) disturbances. Vulnerable waters include non-floodplain wetlands and headwater streams, abundant watershed components representing the most di
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Earth Resources Observation and Science Center, Climate Research and Development Program, Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center , Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center

Land 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-wid
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Earth Resources Observation and Science Center, Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center

Lessons 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 need
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Earth Resources Observation and Science Center, Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center

Monitoring landscape dynamics in central U.S. grasslands with harmonized Landsat-8 and Sentinel-2 time series data

Remotely monitoring changes in central U.S. grasslands is challenging because these landscapes tend to respond quickly to disturbances and changes in weather. Such dynamic responses influence nutrient cycling, greenhouse gas contributions, habitat availability for wildlife, and other ecosystem processes and services. Traditionally, coarse-resolution satellite data acquired at daily intervals have
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Earth Resources Observation and Science Center, Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center

Investigating lake-area dynamics across a permafrost-thaw spectrum using airborne electromagnetic surveys and remote sensing time-series data in Yukon Flats, Alaska

Lakes in boreal lowlands cycle carbon and supply an important source of freshwater for wildlife and migratory waterfowl. The abundance and distribution of these lakes are supported, in part, by permafrost distribution, which is subject to change. Relationships between permafrost thaw and lake dynamics remain poorly known in most boreal regions. Here, new airborne electromagnetic (AEM) data collect
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Water Resources Mission Area, Earth Resources Observation and Science Center, Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center , Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center

An initial validation of Landsat 5 and 7 derived surface water temperature for U.S. lakes, reservoirs, and estuaries

The United States Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research Control Act of 2014 identified the need for forecasting and monitoring harmful algal blooms (HAB) in lakes, reservoirs, and estuaries across the nation. Temperature is a driver in HAB forecasting models that affects both HAB growth rates and toxin production. Therefore, temperature data derived from the U.S. Geological Survey Landsat 5 The
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Earth Resources Observation and Science Center, Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center

Landsat classification of surface-water presence during multiple years to assess response of playa wetlands to climatic variability across the Great Plains Landscape Conservation Cooperative region

To improve understanding of the distribution of ecologically important, ephemeral wetland habitats across the Great Plains, the occurrence and distribution of surface water in playa wetland complexes were documented for four different years across the Great Plains Landscape Conservation Cooperative (GPLCC) region. This information is important because it informs land and wildlife managers about th
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Earth Resources Observation and Science Center, Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center , Fort Collins Science Center

Monitoring algal blooms in drinking water reservoirs using the Landsat-8 Operational Land Imager

In this study, we demonstrated that the Landsat-8 Operational Land Imager (OLI) sensor is a powerful tool that can provide periodic and system-wide information on the condition of drinking water reservoirs. The OLI is a multispectral radiometer (30 m spatial resolution) that allows ecosystem observations at spatial and temporal scales that allow the environmental community and water managers anoth
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Earth Resources Observation and Science Center, Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center

Controls on the geochemical evolution of Prairie Pothole Region lakes and wetlands over decadal time scales

One hundred sixty-seven Prairie Pothole lakes, ponds and wetlands (largely lakes) previously analyzed chemically during the late 1960’s and early to mid-1970’s were resampled and reanalyzed in 2011–2012. The two sampling periods differed climatically. The earlier sampling took place during normal to slightly dry conditions, whereas the latter occurred during and immediately following exceptionally
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Water Resources Mission Area, Ecosystems Mission Area, Earth Resources Observation and Science Center, Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center , Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center, Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center, Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center

Trophic dynamics of shrinking Subarctic lakes: naturally eutrophic waters impart resilience to rising nutrient and major ion concentrations

Shrinking lakes were recently observed for several Arctic and Subarctic regions due to increased evaporation and permafrost degradation. Along with lake drawdown, these processes often boost aquatic chemical concentrations, potentially impacting trophic dynamics. In particular, elevated chemical levels may impact primary productivity, which may in turn influence populations of primary and secondar
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Earth Resources Observation and Science Center, Alaska Science Center, Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center

Effect of permafrost thaw on the dynamics of lakes recharged by ice-jam floods: case study in Yukon Flats, Alaska

Large river floods are a key water source for many lakes in fluvial periglacial settings. Where permeable sediments occur, the distribution of permafrost may play an important role in the routing of floodwaters across a floodplain. This relationship is explored for lakes in the discontinuous permafrost of Yukon Flats, interior Alaska, using an analysis that integrates satellite-derived gradients i
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Earth Resources Observation and Science Center, Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center
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Jesslyn Brown (top) and Jennifer Rover with graphic for USGS EROS podcast "Eyes on Earth"

Eyes on Earth Episode 29 – Tracking Landscape Change with LCMAP

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 learn about an exciting new initiative to track landscape change in the U.S.

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Eyes on Earth Episode 29 – Tracking Landscape Change with LCMAP

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 learn about an exciting new initiative to track landscape change in the U.S.

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Cyanobacteria bloom

Inland Lakes, Rivers and Streams

Water bodies surrounded by land serve as sources of fresh drinking water, play host to millions of species of fish, underwater vegetation and wildlife and maintain the vibrancy of surrounding ecosystems. These water bodies can also be hubs for recreational activities such as boating, fishing, waterskiing, swimming that boost local economies.
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Earth Resources Observation and Science Center, Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center
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Inland Lakes, Rivers and Streams

Water bodies surrounded by land serve as sources of fresh drinking water, play host to millions of species of fish, underwater vegetation and wildlife and maintain the vibrancy of surrounding ecosystems. These water bodies can also be hubs for recreational activities such as boating, fishing, waterskiing, swimming that boost local economies.
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Aerial photo of the prairie pothole region of North American

Wetland Landscape Characterization

Wetlands purify and store our water, process carbon and nutrients and serve a crucial role in the life cycle of a wide range of flora and fauna. Wetland disturbance from urban development or agriculture can alter the natural flow of runoff and increase the risk for flooding.
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Earth Resources Observation and Science Center, Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center
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Wetland Landscape Characterization

Wetlands purify and store our water, process carbon and nutrients and serve a crucial role in the life cycle of a wide range of flora and fauna. Wetland disturbance from urban development or agriculture can alter the natural flow of runoff and increase the risk for flooding.
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USGS science for a changing world logo

North American Analysis and Synthesis on the Connectivity of "Geographically Isolated Wetlands" to Downstream Waters

Geographically Isolated Wetlands (GIWs) occur along gradients of hydrologic and ecological connectivity and isolation, even within wetland types (e.g., forested, emergent marshes) and functional classes (e.g., ephemeral systems, permanent systems, etc.). Within a given watershed, the relative positions of wetlands and open-waters along these gradients influence the type and magnitude of their che
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John Wesley Powell Center for Analysis and Synthesis
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North American Analysis and Synthesis on the Connectivity of "Geographically Isolated Wetlands" to Downstream Waters

Geographically Isolated Wetlands (GIWs) occur along gradients of hydrologic and ecological connectivity and isolation, even within wetland types (e.g., forested, emergent marshes) and functional classes (e.g., ephemeral systems, permanent systems, etc.). Within a given watershed, the relative positions of wetlands and open-waters along these gradients influence the type and magnitude of their che
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USGS scientists gathered around a computer at an LCMAP workshop
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LCMAP Team to Present at AGU 2020

Members of the Land Change Monitoring, Assessment and Projection (LCMAP) team at the USGS EROS Center will present on multiple topics during the 2020...

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Continuous Monitoring of Land Surface Change Over 30 Years Using the Landsat Record

The USGS Land Change Monitoring, Assessment, and Projection project has released a new suite of land-cover change products for the conterminous U.S.

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LCMAP Promises New Insight on Land Surface Change

Landsat satellite imagery has been a boon to the study of the Earth’s surface for nearly five decades, but researchers at the USGS Earth Resources...

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Landsat, Permafrost Data Offer Insight into Arctic Lake Dynamics

Lakes don’t always behave as they’re expected to. Especially lakes in remote Arctic locales like Alaska’s Yukon Flats, where permafrost plays heavily...

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Landsat classification of surface water for multiple seasons to monitor inundation of playa wetlands

To improve understanding of the distribution of important, ephemeral wetland habitats across the Great Plains, we documented the occurrence and distribution of surface water in playa wetland complexes for four different years across the Great Plains Landscape Conservation Cooperative (GPLCC) region. Years of research on playas has yielded multiple mechanisms and projections for sub-regions of the
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Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center

Science and Products