Geography's James Kellner Featured in 'The Scientist' Magazine

1 February, 2012

Assistant Professor James Kellner, with the Department of Geographical Sciences, was recently featured in 'The Scientist' magazine.

The article discusses quantifying large-scale biological phenomena using satellite remote sensing. The segment featuring Dr. Kellner more specifically discusses techniques for and the importance of tracking "biological invasions", and explores the effects of foreign wildlife that was introduced into the Hawaiian ecosystem in the late 1770s.

In summary, the rampant spread of previously foreign wildlife (goats, pigs and sheep) had resulted in the decimation of Hawaii's local flora and fauna - driving many species of vegetation, and the animals who depended on their support, to extinction. In 2003, thanks to a collaborative effort between the US Army, researchers and local hunters, a large area of forest known as Kipuka Alala (established to preserve specific species of trees & birds) was cleared of goats and other destructive species.    

To test whether the elimination of goats had impacted the regeneration of endangered forest trees, Kellner and a team of botanists and ecologists utilized NASA’s Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) - an instrument aboard the Terra and Aqua satellites that measures the visible and near-infrared light reflected from the Earth’s surface. Using data that was collected over nine years, the team was able to observe, and quantify, how the vegetation cover had improved over time.

To read the full article, visit the link below: 

http://the-scientist.com/2012/02/01/casting-a-wide-eye/