Hello
My research will focus on assimilating multiple satellite based observations into NCAR’s Community Land Model (CLM5) with the goal of constraining simulated above ground processes and improving simulated carbon dynamics. My research interests include Earth System Science and modeling, the use of remote sensing and machine learning for the classification and characterization of land surface phenomena and processes across space and time, the dynamic nature of socio-ecological systems and how various management paradigms affect ecosystem structure and function.
About me
I am a first year graduate student pursuing my Ph.D. in Soil & Crop Sciences with a focus in Environmental Information Systems. Prior to this, I obtained my Bachelor’s of Science at Portland State University (PSU) with minors in GIScience, Water Resources and Sustainability. As a McNair Scholar, I worked alongside Dr. Vivek Shandas in the Sustaining Urban Places Lab (SUPR) at PSU and Multnomah County in Oregon to develop regional estimates of forest carbon storage and temporal change across various land use and management categories. Following this, I received graduate training in Environmental Science and Data Analytics at Oregon State University where I worked alongside Dr. Vivek Shandas to map individual tree-crowns in Portland, OR and Sacramento, CA using LiDAR and high-resolution aerial imagery data fusion.
My hobbies include hiking, backpacking, foraging, cooking and reading. I consider myself an amateur naturalist and enjoy spending my leisure time in nature.
(SMAP Taking Data From Orbit, Credit: NASA)
Research Projects:
Assimilating multiple satellite observations into CLM5-DART
Background: Large scale land restoration efforts have a significant impact on terrestrial carbon sources and sinks, presenting a critical need for accurate and scalable carbon monitoring systems which can be used to verify climate impacts. This is especially true in East Africa where these programs have the potential to bolster food security for hundreds of millions of people.
In this project, we will be using NCAR’s Data Assimilation Research Testbed (DART) to assimilate multiple satellite observations (SIF-GPP, MODIS LAI, SMAP Soil Moisture) into CLM5 to constrain initial conditions, model parameters and simulated carbon dynamics. These efforts will aid in the development of a novel framework for regionally focused Carbon Monitoring Systems that provide the spatially explicit data needed to resolve carbon stocks and flux at policy relevant scales in East Africa, bolstering efforts to monitor change, verify program impacts and sequester carbon in the landscape carbon pool.