Yagci, Ali, J.A. Santanello, J.W. Jones and J. Barr, 2017. Estimating evaporative fraction from readily obtainable variables in mangrove forests of the Everglades, U.S.A. Vol 38, No 14, p. 3981-4007.
John W Jones
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.
Biography
I have been developing and applying geospatial technologies to improve process understanding and resource management for more than three decades. Throughout my career I have collaborated across disciplines and institutions to develop new methods to measure biophysical characteristics of the land surface and land cover dynamics for hydrologic modeling and aquatic habitat characterization. Following Geographic Information System (GIS) analyst positions in state government and private industry, I joined the USGS GIS Research Laboratory in 1990 to extend the use of GIS in the Federal Government through applied research, special assignments, training and outreach. I received the Department of Interior Superior Service Award in recognition of my contributions to the use of GIS in the USGS. I then joined the Geography Senior Program Group to coordinate interdisciplinary research initiatives and co-author USGS strategic science plans. In 1997, I moved to the USGS Eastern Geographic Science Center to incorporate remote sensing and landscape ecology in Everglades restoration science. I was awarded the Department of Interior Meritorious Service Award for that work. I am particularly interested in and adept at collaborating across scientific disciplines and communicating complex science to non-scientists. Research interests include topographic modeling; the role of vegetation in hydrology (e.g., spatial and temporal variations in evapotranspiration; precipitation interception and resistance to surface water flow); mapping irrigated lands; land surface inundation/depth dynamics - especially in wetlands; and remote sensing of river discharge.
Education
Ph.D. in Geography
University of Maryland, College Park, MD
Dissertation: The importance of vegetation fluctuations for streamflow from watersheds of macro scale.
M.A. in Water Resources Planning and Management
University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE
Thesis: Geospatial processing techniques for snow cover mapping in heterogeneous terrain.
B.A. in Geography
University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT
Science and Products
Date published: January 1, 2011
Status: Completed SERAP: 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...
Attribution: Climate Adaptation Science Centers
Date published: January 1, 2011
Status: Completed SERAP: 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...
Attribution: Climate Adaptation Science Centers
Year Published: 2019
Remote 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...
Conaway, Jeff; Eggleston, John R.; Legleiter, Carl J.; Jones, John W.; Kinzel, Paul J.; Fulton, John W.Attribution: Alaska Science Center, Virginia and West Virginia Water Science Center, Colorado Water Science Center, Pennsylvania Water Science Center, Water Resources, Region 11: Alaska
View Citation
Conaway, J.S., Eggleston, J., Legleiter, C.J., Jones, J.W., Kinzel, P.J., and Fulton, J.W., 2019, Remote sensing of river flow in Alaska—New technology to improve safety and expand coverage of USGS streamgaging: U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet 2019-3024, 4 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/fs20193024.
Year Published: 2019
Improved 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...
Jones, John W.
Year Published: 2018
Automated 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...
Huang, Wenli; DeVries, Ben; Huang, Chengquan; Lang, Megan W.; Jones, John W.; Creed, Irena F.; Carroll, Mark L.Attribution: Eastern Geographic Science Center, Northeast
Year Published: 2018
High 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...
Ignatius, Amber R.; Jones, John W.Attribution: Eastern Geographic Science Center, Northeast
Year Published: 2017
Automated 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...
DeVries, Ben; Huang, Chengquan; Lang, Megan W.; Jones, John W.; Huang, Wenli; Creed, Irena F.; Carroll, Mark L.Attribution: Eastern Geographic Science Center, Northeast
View Citation
DeVries, B.; Huang, C.; Lang, M.W.; Jones, J.W.; Huang, W.; Creed, I.F.; Carroll, M.L.Automated Quantification of Surface Water Inundation in Wetlands Using Optical Satellite Imagery. Remote Sens. 2017, 9, 807.
Year Published: 2017
Estimating 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...
Yagci, Ali Levent; Santanello, Joseph A.; Jones, John W.; Barr, Jordan G.Attribution: Eastern Geographic Science Center, Northeast
View Citation
Ali Levent Yagci, Joseph A. Santanello, John W. Jones & Jordan Barr
(2017) Estimating evaporative fraction from readily obtainable variables in mangrove forests
of the Everglades, U.S.A., International Journal of Remote Sensing, 38:14, 3981-4007, DOI:
10.1080/01431161.2017.1312033
Year Published: 2017
Engaging 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...
Hossain, Faisal; Srinivasan, Margaret; Peterson, Craig; Andral, Alice; Beighley, Ed; Anderson, Eric; Amini, Rashied; Birkett, Charon; Bjerklie, David M.; Blain, Cheryl Ann; Cherchali, Selma; David, Cédric H.; Doorn, Bradley D.; Escurra, Jorge; Fu, Lee-Lueng; Frans, Chris; Fulton, John W.; Gangopadhyay, Subhrendu; Ghosh, Subimal; Gleason, Colin; Gosset, Marielle; Hausman, Jessica; Jacobs, Gregg; Jones, John W.; Kaheil, Yasir; Laignel, Benoit; Le Moigne, Patrick; Li, Li; Lefèvre, Fabien; Mason, Robert R.; Mehta, Amita; Mukherjee, Abhijit; Nguy-Robertson, Anthony; Ricci, Sophie; Paris, Adrien; Pavelsky, Tamlin; Picot, Nicolas; Schumann, Guy; Shrestha, Sudhir; Le Traon, Pierre-Yves; Trehubenko, EricAttribution: Water Resources
Year Published: 2015
Efficient 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...
Jones, John W.Attribution: Eastern Geographic Science Center, Northeast
Year Published: 2015
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
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...
Painter, Jaime A.; Torak, Lynn J.; Jones, John W.Attribution: South Atlantic Water Science Center (SAWSC), Water Resources
View Citation
Painter, J.A., Torak, L.J., and Jones, J.W., 2015, 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, U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2015–5118, 32 p., http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20155118.
Year Published: 2015
Fire history of Everglades National Park and Big Cypress National Preserve, southern Florida
Fire occurs naturally in the environment on most continents, including Africa (Ryan and Williams, 2011), Asia (Kauhanen, 2008), Australia (Kutt and Woinarski, 2007), Europe (Eshel and others, 2000), South America (Fidelis and others, 2010), and North America (Van Auken, 2000). Antarctica appears to be the only continent that has no reported...
Smith, Thomas J.; Foster, Ann M.; Jones, John W.View Citation
Smith, T.J., III, Foster, A.M., and Jones, J.W., 2015, Fire history of Everglades National Park and Big Cypress National Preserve, southern Florida: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2015-1034, 86 p., http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/ofr20151034.
Year Published: 2014
Monitoring Everglades freshwater marsh water level using L-band synthetic aperture radar backscatter
The Florida Everglades plays a significant role in controlling floods, improving water quality, supporting ecosystems, and maintaining biodiversity in south Florida. Adaptive restoration and management of the Everglades requires the best information possible regarding wetland hydrology. We developed a new and innovative approach to quantify...
Kim, Jin-Woo; Lu, Zhong; Jones, John W.; Shum, C.K.; Lee, Hyongki; Jia, YuanyuanAttribution: Eastern Geographic Science Center, Northeast
View Citation
Monitoring Everglades freshwater marsh water level using L-band synthetic aperture radar backscatter; 2014; Article; Journal; Remote Sensing of Environment; Kim, Jin-Woo; Lu, Zhong; Jones, John W.; Shum, C. K.; Lee, Hyongki; Jia, Yuanyuan
Year Published: 2014
Small reservoir distribution, rate of construction, and uses in the upper and middle Chattahoochee basins of the Georgia Piedmont, USA, 1950-2010
Construction of small reservoirs affects ecosystem processes in numerous ways including fragmenting stream habitat, altering hydrology, and modifying water chemistry. While the upper and middle Chattahoochee River basins within the Southeastern United States Piedmont contain few natural lakes, they have a high density of small reservoirs (more...
Ignatius, Amber R.; Jones, John W.Attribution: Eastern Geographic Science Center, Northeast
View Citation
Small reservoir distribution, rate of construction, and uses in the upper and middle Chattahoochee basins of the Georgia Piedmont, USA, 1950-2010; 2014; Article; Journal; ISPRS International Journal of Geo-information; Ignatius, Amber R.; Jones, John W.
Pre-USGS Publications
Jones, J.W. 2015. Efficient wetland surface water detection and monitoring via Landsat: Comparison with in situ data from the Everglades Depth Estimation Network. Remote Sensing. Vol 7, issue 9, 12503-12538.
Painter, J.A., L.J.Torak, and J.W. Jones, 2015. 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. Scientific Investigations Report 2015-5118. 32 p.
Smith, T.J., III, Foster, A.M., and Jones, J.W., 2014, Fire history of Everglades National Park and Big Cypress National Preserve: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 201-1034, 32 p.
Kim, J-W, Z. Lu, J.W. Jones, C.K. Shum, H. Lee and Y. Jia, 2014. Monitoring Everglades freshwater marsh water level using L-band synthetic aperture radar backscatter. Remote Sensing of Environment. B. 150 p. 66-81
Ignatius, A.R. and J.W. Jones, 2014. Small reservoir distribution, rate of construction, and uses In the Upper and Middle Chattahoochee Basins of the Georgia Piedmont, USA, 1950-2010. ISPRS Int. J. of Geo-Inf., Vol 3, p460-480.
LaFontaine, J.H., Hay, L.E., Viger, R.J., Markstrom, S.L., Regan, R.S., Elliott, C.M., and Jones, J.W., 2013, Application of the Precipitation-Runoff Modeling System (PRMS) in the Apalachicola–Chattahoochee–Flint River Basin in the southeastern United States: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2013–5162, 118 p.
Jones, J.W. and A. Hall 2013. Wetland fire scar monitoring using Landsat Archive data for the Everglades. Fire Ecology. Vol. 9, No. 1, p. 133-150.
Smith, T.J. III, A.M. Foster, G. Tiling-Range and J.W. Jones, 2013. Dynamics of mangrove-marsh ecotones in subtropical wetlands: fire, sea-level rise, and water levels. Fire Ecology. Vol. 9, No. 1, p. 66-77.
Jones, J.W., J.M. Starbuck, C. Jenkerson, 2012. Landsat surface reflectance quality assurance extraction (Version 1.7): U.S. Geological Survey Techniques and Methods, book 11, chap. 7 or Geographic Information Systems Tools and Applications, 15p..
Freeman, M.C., G.R. Buell, L.E. Hay, W.B. Hughes, R.B. Jacobson, J.W. Jones, S.A. Jones, J.H. LaFontaine, K.R. Odom, J.T. Peterson, J.W. Riley, J.S. Schindler, C. Chea and J.D. Weaver 2012. Linking river management to species conservation using dynamic landscape-scale models. River Research and Applications. p. 1-13.
Jones, J.W., G.B. Desmond, C. Henkle, R. Glover 2012. An approach to regional wetland digital elevation model development using a differential global positioning system and a custom-built helicopter-based surveying system. International Journal of Remote Sensing. Vol. 33, No. 2, 450-465.
Jones, J.W. 2011. Remote sensing of vegetation pattern and condition to monitor changes in Everglades biogeochemistry. Critical Reviews in Environment and Technology special edition. p Vol. 41 (S1) 64-91.
Gundersen, L.C.S., J. Belnap, M. Goldhaber, A. Goldstein, P.J. Haeussler, S.E. Ingebristen, J.W. Jones, G.S. Plumlee, E. R. Thieler, R.S. Thompson and J.M. Back 2011. Geology for a Changing World 2010-2020: Implementing the U.S. Geological Survey Science Strategy. U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1369. 68 pgs.
Zhixiao Xie, Z. Liu, J.W. Jones, A.L. Higer, P.A. Telis 2011. Landscape unit based digital elevation model development for the freshwater wetlands within the Arthur C. Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge. Applied Geography, v. 31, p. 401-412.
Viger, R.J., L.E. Hay, S.L. Markstrom, J.W. Jones and G. R. Buell. 2011. Hydrologic effects of urbanization and climate change on the Flint River basin, Georgia. Earth Interactions. Vol. 15, no. 20, p. 1-25.
The use of historical charts and photos in ecosystem restoration: Examples from the Everglades Historical Air Photo Project.
Smith, T. J., G. Tiling-Range, J. Jones, P. Nelson, A. Foster, K. Balentine (2010). The use of historical charts and photos in ecosystem restoration: Examples from the Everglades Historical Air Photo Project. In Landscape through the lens. David C. Cowley; Robin A. Standring; and Matthew J. Abicht editors. Springer Verlag. 288 p.
Viger, R.J., L.E. Hay, J.W. Jones, and G.R. Buell, 2010. Effects of including surface depressions in the application of the Precipitation-Runoff Modeling System in the Upper Flint River Basin, Georgia: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2010–5062, 36 p.
Jones, J.W. and T. Jarnagin, 2009. Evaluation of moderate resolution, satellite-based impervious surface map using an independent, high-resolution validation data set. Journal of Hydrologic Engineering. Vol. 14. No. 4. p. 369-376.
The use of local indicators of spatial association to improve LiDAR-derived predictions of potential amphibian breeding ponds.
Julian, J.T., J.A. Young, J.W. Jones, C. D. Snyder, and C.W. Wright, 2009. The use of local indicators of spatial association to improve LiDAR-derived predictions of potential amphibian breeding ponds. Journal of Geographic Systems. Vol 11, Issue 1. P. 89-106.
Jones, J. W. and S. P. Price, 2007. Initial Everglades Depth Estimation (EDEN) digital elevation model research and development. U.S. Geological Survey OF 2007-1034, 18p.
Conceptual design of the Everglades Depth Estimation Network (EDEN) grid. U.S. Geological Survey OF 2007-1200
Jones, J.W. and S. P. Price, 2007. Conceptual design of the Everglades Depth Estimation Network (EDEN) grid. U.S. Geological Survey OF 2007-1200, 20p.
Jones, J.W. and R. Schaffranek, 2006. Interdisciplinary integration of vegetation information into a regional flow model of the Everglades through geographic research. U.S. Geological Survey SIR 2006-5308, 13p.
McMahan, G., S.P. Benjamin, K. Clarke, J.E. Findley, R. N. Fisher, W. L. Graf, L. C. Gunderen, J.W. Jones, T. R. Loveland, K.S. Roth, E. L. Usery, and N. J. Wood (2005). Geography for a Changing World: a Science Strategy for the Geographic Research of the U.S. Geological Survey, 2005-2015, Circular 1281, Reston, VA. 74p.
Image and in situ data integration to derive sawgrass density for surface-flow modeling in the Everglades.
Jones, J.W., 2001. Image and in situ data integration to derive sawgrass density for surface-flow modeling in the Everglades. Remote Sensing and Hydrology 2000, IAHS 267, pgs 507-512
South Florida Everglades
Jones, J.W., J.C. Thomas, and G.B. Desmond, 2001. South Florida Everglades. USGS Miscellaneous Investigations Series, Map I – 2742.