Joel Sankey is a Research Geologist for the USGS Southwest Biological Science Center (SBSC), and the Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center (GCMRC), in Flagstaff, Arizona.
I am also an adjunct professor of the School of Earth and Sustainability (SES) at Northern Arizona University. Previously, I was a Mendenhall Fellow with the USGS Western Geographic Science Center located at the University of Arizona in Tucson. I have a Ph.D. in Engineering and Applied Science from the Geosciences Department at Idaho State University.
Overall, my research focus is on geomorphic and ecosystem processes and function of rivers and upland environments. I characterize and interpret physical and biological land surface change that occurs contemporarily at intra-annual to decadal time scales. I study changes that occur as a function of soil erosion and sediment transport. I also study biophysical processes that change the distribution and composition of vegetation. Many of the land surface changes I study are driven by disturbances caused by people, fires, flooding, and wind. My work is directly relevant to either management actions that are implemented by humans to mitigate these disturbances (e.g., large-scale planting and seeding) or management actions that have either intentionally (e.g., controlled river floods; prescribed fires; removal of invasive vegetation) or unintentionally (e.g., climate change) produced the disturbance and therefore are drivers of change. Increasingly, my work focuses on forecasting how future changes in climate, weather, and hydrology, will affect ecosystems and management outcomes.
Much of my work incorporates remote sensing with digital imagery and topographic data acquired from multispectral and LiDAR sensors on ground-based, airborne (including manned and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)), and satellite platforms. I also use detailed field-investigations for ecological and geomorphic assessment.
At the GCMRC, I lead the remote sensing group. I design our research and monitoring to be responsive to the Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program (GCDAMP), a Federal Advisory Committee chartered by the US Department of Interior and chaired by the Undersecretary for Water and Science.
Science and Products
Airborne Remote Sensing in Grand Canyon
Is timing really everything? Evaluating Resource Response to Spring Disturbance Flows
High-Flow Experiments on the Colorado River
Overview of Riparian Vegetation in Grand Canyon
Connectivity of Sand Resources Along the Colorado River in Grand Canyon
Riparian Remote Sensing in the Colorado River and Grand Canyon Region
Evaluation of UAS photogrammetry and comparison to ground and aerial surveys for monitoring geomorphic condition of fine sediment deposits along the Colorado River
Changes to Watershed Vulnerability under Future Climates, Fire Regimes, and Population Pressures
Science and Products
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Airborne Remote Sensing in Grand Canyon
A high-resolution image collection in 2021 will be the most recent in a rich archive of aerial imagery that is used to track changes of the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon. Imagery will be acquired from an airplane in Grand Canyon National Park along the Colorado River corridor and the Little Colorado River starting Memorial Day weekend and continuing through the first week of June 2021. This...Is timing really everything? Evaluating Resource Response to Spring Disturbance Flows
Glen Canyon Dam has altered ecological processes of the Colorado River in Grand Canyon. Before the dam was built, the Colorado River experienced seasonable variable flow rates, including springtime flooding events. These spring floods scoured the river bottom and enhanced natural processes that sustained the Colorado River ecosystem. Since the dam’s construction in 1963, springtime floods have...High-Flow Experiments on the Colorado River
Glen Canyon Dam has altered flow and fine sediment (sand, silt, and clay) dynamics of the Colorado River in Grand Canyon. Before the dam, the Colorado River experienced highly variable flows and carried a large amount of sediment through Grand Canyon, which maintained sandbars (highly valued camping areas in Grand Canyon) and provided sand that protected archeological and cultural sites from...Overview of Riparian Vegetation in Grand Canyon
Riparian areas are conspicuous belts of dense, green vegetation along streams and rivers, and can be considered “ribbons of life”. Despite covering less than 2 percent of the land area in the southwestern U.S., riparian areas tend to have high species diversity and population density, making them valuable to managers, scientists, and the public. These unique ecosystems act as a link between dry...Connectivity of Sand Resources Along the Colorado River in Grand Canyon
We study the links among different geomorphic processes that affect river valley landscapes in the Colorado River downstream from Glen Canyon Dam, Arizona. Dam-released flows affect the deposition and retention of sandbars that serve as sources for other sand resources, such as windblown sand dunes, throughout the Colorado River ecosystem. The degree to which the landscapes are differentially...Riparian Remote Sensing in the Colorado River and Grand Canyon Region
Riparian vegetation has increased dramatically along the Colorado River downstream of Glen Canyon Dam since the closure of the dam in 1963. The spatial patterns and temporal rates of vegetation increase occur due to changes in river hydrology, dam operations, and climate. The increase in vegetation, particularly onto otherwise bare sandbars, has impacted recreational, geomorphological, biological...Evaluation of UAS photogrammetry and comparison to ground and aerial surveys for monitoring geomorphic condition of fine sediment deposits along the Colorado River
At the Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center (GCMRC), we are looking for affordable and efficient alternatives and augmentations to our current approaches to monitoring the geomorphic condition of sandbars, terraces and other fine-sediment deposits along the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon region, Arizona.Changes to Watershed Vulnerability under Future Climates, Fire Regimes, and Population Pressures
The project aimed to use existing models and data to understand how wildfires (number, size, and location) and land-use change will affect watersheds, and therefore water supply, under current conditions and future climates (through 2050) in the western U.S. The projected changes in temperature and precipitation are expected to affect water supply in two major ways: 1) decreased water availability - Data
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