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
Year Published: 2013
Linking river management to species conservation using dynamic landscape scale models
Efforts to conserve stream and river biota could benefit from tools that allow managers to evaluate landscape-scale changes in species distributions in response to water management decisions. We present a framework and methods for integrating hydrology, geographic context and metapopulation processes to simulate effects of changes in streamflow on...
Freeman, Mary C.; Buell, Gary R.; Hay, Lauren E.; Hughes, W. Brian; Jacobson, Robert B.; Jones, John W.; Jones, S.A.; LaFontaine, Jacob H.; Odom, Kenneth R.; Peterson, James; Riley, Jeffrey W.; Schindler, J. Stephen; Shea, C.; Weaver, J.D.View Citation
Linking river management to species conservation using dynamic landscape scale models; 2013; Article; Journal; River Research and Applications; Freeman, Mary C.; Buell, Gary R.; Hay, Lauren E.; Hughes, W. Brian; Jacobson, Robert B.; Jones, John W.; Jones, S.A.; Lafontaine, Jacob H.; Odom, Kenneth R.; Peterson, James T.; Riley, Jeffrey W.; Schindler, J. Stephen; Shea, C.; Weaver, J.D.
Year Published: 2013
Application of the Precipitation-Runoff Modeling System (PRMS) in the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin in the southeastern United States
A hydrologic model of the Apalachicola–Chattahoochee–Flint River Basin (ACFB) has been developed as part of a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Climate Change and Wildlife Science Center effort to provide integrated science that helps resource managers understand the effect of climate change on a range of ecosystem responses. The hydrologic...
LaFontaine, Jacob H.; Hay, Lauren E.; Viger, Roland J.; Markstrom, Steve L.; Regan, R. Steve; Elliott, Caroline M.; Jones, John W.Attribution: South Atlantic Water Science Center (SAWSC), Columbia Environmental Research Center, Water Resources
View Citation
Application of the Precipitation-Runoff Modeling System (PRMS) in the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin in the southeastern United States; 2013; SIR; 2013-5162; LaFontaine, Jacob H.; Hay, Lauren E.; Viger, Roland J.; Markstrom, Steve L.; Regan, R. Steve; Elliott, Caroline M.; Jones, John W.
Year Published: 2013
Dynamics of mangrove-marsh ecotones in subtropical coastal wetlands: fire, sea-level rise, and water levels
Ecotones are areas of sharp environmental gradients between two or more homogeneous vegetation types. They are a dynamic aspect of all landscapes and are also responsive to climate change. Shifts in the position of an ecotone across a landscape can be an indication of a changing environment. In the coastal Everglades of Florida, USA, a dominant...
Smith, Thomas J.; Foster, Ann M.; Tiling-Range, Ginger; Jones, John W.Attribution: Wetland and Aquatic Research Center, Ecosystems
View Citation
Dynamics of mangrove-marsh ecotones in subtropical coastal wetlands: fire, sea-level rise, and water levels; 2013; Article; Journal; Fire Ecology; Smith, Thomas J.; Foster, Ann M.; Tiling-Range, Ginger; Jones, John W.
Year Published: 2013
Wetland fire scar monitoring and analysis using archival Landsat data for the Everglades
The ability to document the frequency, extent, and severity of fires in wetlands, as well as the dynamics of post-fire wetland land cover, informs fire and wetland science, resource management, and ecosystem protection. Available information on Everglades burn history has been based on field data collection methods that evolved through time and...
Jones, John W.; Hall, Annette E.; Foster, Ann M.; Smith, Thomas J.View Citation
Wetland fire scar monitoring and analysis using archival Landsat data for the Everglades; 2013; Article; Journal; Fire Ecology; Jones, John W.; Hall, Annette E.; Foster, Ann M.; Smith, Thomas J., III
Year Published: 2012
Wetland fire remote sensing research--The Greater Everglades example
Fire is a major factor in the Everglades ecosystem. For thousands of years, lightning-strike fires from summer thunderstorms have helped create and maintain a dynamic landscape suited both to withstand fire and recover quickly in the wake of frequent fires. Today, managers in the Everglades National Park are implementing controlled burns to...
Jones, John W.Attribution: Eastern Geographic Science Center, Northeast
View Citation
Wetland fire remote sensing research--The Greater Everglades example; 2012; FS; 2012-3133; Jones, John W.
Year Published: 2011
Remote sensing of vegetation pattern and condition to monitor changes in Everglades biogeochemistry
Ground-based studies of biogeochemistry and vegetation patterning yield process understanding, but the amount of information gained by ground-based studies can be greatly enhanced by efficient, synoptic, and temporally resolute monitoring afforded by remote sensing. The variety of presently available Everglades vegetation maps reflects both the...
Jones, John W.Attribution: Eastern Geographic Science Center, Northeast
View Citation
Remote sensing of vegetation pattern and condition to monitor changes in Everglades biogeochemistry; 2011; Article; Journal; Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology; Jones, John W.
Year Published: 2011
Landscape unit based digital elevation model development for the freshwater wetlands within the Arthur C. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge, Southeastern Florida
The hydrologic regime is a critical limiting factor in the delicate ecosystem of the greater Everglades freshwater wetlands in south Florida that has been severely altered by management activities in the past several decades. "Getting the water right" is regarded as the key to successful restoration of this unique wetland ecosystem. An essential...
Xie, Zhixiao; Liu, Zhongwei; Jones, John W.; Higer, Aaron L.; Telis, Pamela A.Attribution: Eastern Geographic Science Center, Northeast
View Citation
Landscape unit based digital elevation model development for the freshwater wetlands within the Arthur C. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge, Southeastern Florida; 2011; Article; Journal; Applied Geography; Xie, Zhixiao ; Liu, Zhongwei ; Jones, John W.; Higer, Aaron L.; Telis, Pamela A.
Year Published: 2011
Geology for a changing world 2010-2020-Implementing the U.S. Geological Survey science strategy
This report describes a science strategy for the geologic activities of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) for the years 2010-2020. It presents six goals with accompanying strategic actions and products that implement the science directions of USGS Circular 1309, 'Facing Tomorrow's Challenges-U.S. Geological Survey Science in the Decade 2007-2017...
Gundersen, Linda C.S.; Belnap, Jayne; Goldhaber, Martin; Goldstein, Arthur; Haeussler, Peter J.; Ingebritsen, S.E.; Jones, John W.; Plumlee, Geoffrey S.; Thieler, E. Robert; Thompson, Robert S.; Back, Judith M.Attribution: Office of Science Quality and Integrity
View Citation
Geology for a changing world 2010-2020-Implementing the U.S. Geological Survey science strategy; 2011; CIR; 1369; Gundersen, Linda C.S.; Belnap, Jayne; Goldhaber, Martin; Goldstein, Arthur; Haeussler, Peter J.; Ingebritsen, S.E.; Jones, John W.; Plumlee, Geoffrey S.; Thieler, E. Robert; Thompson, Robert S.; Back, Judith M.
Year Published: 2011
Hydrologic effects of urbanization and climate change on the Flint River Basin, Georgia
The potential effects of long-term urbanization and climate change on the freshwater resources of the Flint River basin were examined by using the Precipitation-Runoff Modeling System (PRMS). PRMS is a deterministic, distributed-parameter watershed model developed to evaluate the effects of various combinations of precipitation, temperature, and...
Viger, Roland J.; Hay, Lauren E.; Markstrom, Steven L.; Jones, John W.; Buell, Gary R.View Citation
Viger, R. J., Hay, L. E., Markstrom, S. L., Jones, J. W., Buell, G. R., 2011, Hydrologic effects of urbanization and climate change on the Flint River Basin, Georgia: Earth Interactions, 15, doi: 10.1175/2010EI369.1
Year Published: 2010
Shenandoah National Park Phenology Project-Weather data collection, description, and processing
The weather data described in this document are being collected as part of a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) study of changes in Shenandoah National Park (SNP) landscape phenology (Jones and Osbourne, 2008). Phenology is the study of the timing of biological events, such as annual plant flowering and seasonal bird migration. These events are...
Jones, John W.; Aiello, Danielle P.; Osborne, Jesse D.View Citation
Shenandoah National Park Phenology Project-Weather data collection, description, and processing; 2010; OFR; 2010-1272; Jones, John W.; Aiello, Danielle P.; Osborne, Jesse D.
Year Published: 2010
Effects of including surface depressions in the application of the Precipitation-Runoff Modeling System in the Upper Flint River Basin, Georgia
This report documents an extension of the Precipitation Runoff Modeling System that accounts for the effect of a large number of water-holding depressions in the land surface on the hydrologic response of a basin. Several techniques for developing the inputs needed by this extension also are presented. These techniques include the delineation of...
Viger, Roland J.; Hay, Lauren E.; Jones, John W.; Buell, Gary R.View Citation
Effects of including surface depressions in the application of the Precipitation-Runoff Modeling System in the Upper Flint River Basin, Georgia; 2010; SIR; 2010-5062; Viger, Roland J.; Hay, Lauren E.; Jones, John W.; Buell, Gary R.
Year Published: 2008
Detecting Evidence of Climate Change in the Forests of the Eastern United States
Changes in land use or disturbances such as defoliation by insects, disease, or fire all affect the composition and amount of tree canopy in a forest. These changes are easy to detect. Noticing and understanding the complex ways that global or regional-scale climate change combines with these disturbances to affect forest growth patterns and...
Jones, John W.; Osborne, Jesse D.View Citation
Detecting Evidence of Climate Change in the Forests of the Eastern United States; 2008; FS; 2008-3046; Jones, John W.; Osborne, Jesse D.
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.