Through my research, I pursue two over-riding goals: (1) increased understanding of relationships among land surface dynamics, hydrologic, and biologic processes; and (2) the provision of resource management relevant information to decision-makers. To meet these goals, research is focused on developing new methods to measure and monitor biophysical characteristics of various land covers.
John has been developing and applying geospatial technologies to improve process understanding and resource management for nearly four decades. His current emphasis is on the development and application of methods and products to monitor inland surface water dynamics from local through global scales. He is particularly interested in the fusion of data collected by various sensors to provide the highest quality time-series data possible. Collaboration across disciplines and institutions improves the quality of his work. Before joining the USGS, John worked as a geospatial technology applications specialist in state government and private industry. Since joining the USGS, John has engaged in research, strategic planning, training, mentoring, and outreach. Specific research endeavors have included: snow cover mapping; incorporating remote sensing and landscape ecology in Everglades restoration science; wetland bathymetry modeling; evaluating the role of vegetation in hydrology (e.g., spatial and temporal variations in evapotranspiration; precipitation interception and resistance to surface water flow); land surface phenology; impervious surface data accuracy assessment; mapping irrigated lands and estimating agricultural water use; land surface inundation/depth dynamics - especially in wetlands; remote sensing of river discharge; and hazard mitigation.
Science and Products
Demography of the Oregon spotted frog along a hydrologically modified river
Isolating anthropogenic wetland loss by concurrently tracking inundation and land cover disturbance across the Mid-Atlantic Region, U.S.
Remote sensing of river flow in Alaska—New technology to improve safety and expand coverage of USGS streamgaging
Improved automated detection of subpixel-scale inundation – Revised Dynamic Surface Water Extent (DSWE) partial surface water tests
Automated extraction of surface water extent from Sentinel-1 data
High resolution water body mapping for SWAT evaporative modelling in the Upper Oconee watershed of Georgia, USA
Automated quantification of surface water inundation in wetlands using optical satellite imagery
Estimating evaporative fraction from readily obtainable variables in mangrove forests of the Everglades, U.S.A.
Engaging the user community for advancing societal applications of the Surface Water Ocean Topography mission
Efficient wetland surface water detection and monitoring via Landsat: Comparison with in situ data from the Everglades Depth Estimation Network
Evaluation and comparison of methods to estimate irrigation withdrawal for the National Water Census Focus Area Study of the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin in southwestern Georgia
Development of a Surface Water Index of Permanence (SWIPe) Database to Assess Surface Water Availability for Ecohydrological Refugia
SERAP: Modeling of Global and Land Use Change Impacts
SERAP: Modeling of Hydrologic Systems
Satellite-Derived Training Data for Automated Flood Detection in the Continental U.S.
Tracking disturbance and inundation to identify wetland loss
Modified Land Cover Raster for the Upper Oconee Watershed
Northern Everglades, Florida, satellite image map
South Florida Everglades: satellite image map
Science and Products
- Publications
Filter Total Items: 37
Demography of the Oregon spotted frog along a hydrologically modified river
Altered flow regimes can contribute to dissociation between life history strategies and environmental conditions, leading to reduced persistence reported for many wildlife populations inhabiting regulated rivers. The Oregon spotted frog (Rana pretiosa) is a threatened species occurring in floodplains, ponds, and wetlands in the Pacific Northwest with a core range in Oregon, USA. All life stages ofIsolating anthropogenic wetland loss by concurrently tracking inundation and land cover disturbance across the Mid-Atlantic Region, U.S.
Global trends in wetland degradation and loss have created an urgency to monitor wetland extent, as well as track the distribution and causes of wetland loss. Satellite imagery can be used to monitor wetlands over time, but few efforts have attempted to distinguish anthropogenic wetland loss from climate-driven variability in wetland extent. We present an approach to concurrently track land coverRemote sensing of river flow in Alaska—New technology to improve safety and expand coverage of USGS streamgaging
The U.S. Geological Survey monitors water level (water surface elevation relative to an arbitrary datum) and measures streamflow in Alaska rivers to compute and compile river flow records for use by water resource planners, engineers, and land managers to design infrastructure, manage floodplains, and protect life, property, and aquatic resources. Alaska has over 800,000 miles of rivers includingImproved automated detection of subpixel-scale inundation – Revised Dynamic Surface Water Extent (DSWE) partial surface water tests
In order to produce useful hydrologic and aquatic habitat data from the Landsat system, the U.S. Geological Survey has developed the “Dynamic Surface Water Extent” (DSWE) Landsat Science Product. DSWE will provide long-term, high-temporal resolution data on variations in inundation extent. The model used to generate DSWE is composed of five decision-rule based tests that do not require scene-basedAutomated extraction of surface water extent from Sentinel-1 data
Accurately quantifying surface water extent in wetlands is critical to understanding their role in ecosystem processes. However, current regional- to global-scale surface water products lack the spatial or temporal resolution necessary to characterize heterogeneous or variable wetlands. Here, we proposed a fully automatic classification tree approach to classify surface water extent using SentinelHigh resolution water body mapping for SWAT evaporative modelling in the Upper Oconee watershed of Georgia, USA
Technological improvements in remote sensing and geographic information systems have demonstrated the abundance of artificially constructed water bodies across the landscape. Although research has shown the ubiquity of small ponds globally, and in the southeastern United States in particular, their cumulative impact in terms of evaporative alteration is less well quantified. The objectives of thisAutomated quantification of surface water inundation in wetlands using optical satellite imagery
We present a fully automated and scalable algorithm for quantifying surface water inundation in wetlands. Requiring no external training data, our algorithm estimates sub-pixel water fraction (SWF) over large areas and long time periods using Landsat data. We tested our SWF algorithm over three wetland sites across North America, including the Prairie Pothole Region, the Delmarva Peninsula and theEstimating evaporative fraction from readily obtainable variables in mangrove forests of the Everglades, U.S.A.
A remote-sensing-based model to estimate evaporative fraction (EF) – the ratio of latent heat (LE; energy equivalent of evapotranspiration –ET–) to total available energy – from easily obtainable remotely-sensed and meteorological parameters is presented. This research specifically addresses the shortcomings of existing ET retrieval methods such as calibration requirements of extensive accurate inEngaging the user community for advancing societal applications of the Surface Water Ocean Topography mission
Scheduled for launch in 2021, the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission will be a truly unique mission that will provide high-temporal-frequency maps of surface water extents and elevation variations of global water bodies (lakes/reservoirs, rivers, estuaries, oceans, and sea ice) at higher spatial resolution than is available with current technologies (Biancamaria et al. 2016; AlsdorfEfficient wetland surface water detection and monitoring via Landsat: Comparison with in situ data from the Everglades Depth Estimation Network
The U.S. Geological Survey is developing new Landsat science products. One, named Dynamic Surface Water Extent (DSWE), is focused on the representation of ground surface inundation as detected in cloud-/shadow-/snow-free pixels for scenes collected over the U.S. and its territories. Characterization of DSWE uncertainty to facilitate its appropriate use in science and resource management is a primaEvaluation and comparison of methods to estimate irrigation withdrawal for the National Water Census Focus Area Study of the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin in southwestern Georgia
Methods to estimate irrigation withdrawal using nationally available datasets and techniques that are transferable to other agricultural regions were evaluated by the U.S. Geological Survey as part of the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint (ACF) River Basin focus area study of the National Water Census (ACF–FAS). These methods investigated the spatial, temporal, and quantitative distributions of wat - Science
Development of a Surface Water Index of Permanence (SWIPe) Database to Assess Surface Water Availability for Ecohydrological Refugia
Surface-water availability has been identified as one of the biggest issues facing society in the 21st century. Where and when water is on the landscape can have profound impacts on the economy, wildlife behavior, recreational use, industrial practices, energy development, and many other aspects of life, society, and the environment. Projections indicate that surface-water availability will be genSERAP: Modeling of Global and Land Use Change Impacts
The Southeastern United States spans a broad range of physiographic settings and maintains exceptionally high levels of faunal diversity. Unfortunately, many of these ecosystems are increasingly under threat due to rapid human development, and management agencies are increasingly aware of the potential effects that climate change will have on these ecosystems. Natural resource managers and conservSERAP: Modeling of Hydrologic Systems
A hydrologic model was developed as part of the Southeast Regional Assessment Project using the Precipitation Runoff Modeling System (PRMS), a deterministic, distributed-parameter, process-based system that simulates the effects of precipitation, temperature, and land use on basin hydrology. Streamflow and other components of the hydrologic cycle simulated by PRMS were used to inform other types o - Data
Satellite-Derived Training Data for Automated Flood Detection in the Continental U.S.
Remotely sensed imagery is increasingly used by emergency managers to monitor and map the impact of flood events to support preparedness, response, and critical decision making throughout the flood event lifecycle. To reduce latency in delivery of imagery-derived information, ensure consistent and reliably derived map products, and facilitate processing of an increasing volume of remote sensing daTracking disturbance and inundation to identify wetland loss
Global trends in wetland degradation and loss have created an urgency to monitor wetland extent, as well as track the distribution and causes of wetland loss. Satellite imagery can be used to monitor wetlands over time, but few efforts have attempted to distinguish anthropogenic wetland loss from climate-driven variability in wetland extent. We present an approach to concurrently track land coverModified Land Cover Raster for the Upper Oconee Watershed
This dataset shows land cover in the Upper Oconee watershed. The data layer primarily uses the 2011 National Land Cover Database (NLCD) but was manually edited to include 2,219 additional reservoirs. The reservoirs were identified and digitized using 2010 National Aerial Imagery Program (NAIP) imagery. - Maps
Northern Everglades, Florida, satellite image map
These satellite image maps are one product of the USGS Land Characteristics from Remote Sensing project, funded through the USGS Place-Based Studies Program with support from the Everglades National Park. The objective of this project is to develop and apply innovative remote sensing and geographic information system techniques to map the distribution of vegetation, vegetation characteristics, andSouth Florida Everglades: satellite image map
These satellite image maps are one product of the USGS Land Characteristics from Remote Sensing project, funded through the USGS Place-Based Studies Program (http://access.usgs.gov/) with support from the Everglades National Park (http://www.nps.gov/ever/). The objective of this project is to develop and apply innovative remote sensing and geographic information system techniques to map the distri - News