CSUMB / NASA Ames Cooperative Agreement

Agriculture, Health, and Marine Applied Science

The Agriculture, Health, and Marine Applied Science is one of the 6 tasks of the Ames Cooperative for Research in Earth Science and Technology (ARC-CREST) agreement, along with the CSUMB Educational Program; NASA-HQ Support; Terrestrial Ecosystem and Carbon Simulation Modeling; Disaster Management; and Ecological Forecasting / NASA Earth Exchange (NEX).

Under this task, CSUMB conducts research and applied science activities in the areas of agriculture, health, and marine applied science in collaboration with the Ames Earth Science Division(AESD) and numerous collaborators in government agencies, non-profits and NGOs,and the commercial sector. This task applies remote sensing data, ecological and weather models, agricultural models, and epidemiologic, vector, and pathogen models to advance the ability of U.S. and international institutions to understand and manage these processes. Activities under this task include analysis satellite data, management of airborne and field campaigns to collect data, and development of models and decision support systems.

Collaborators

CSUMB Senior Research Scientists: Forrest Melton, Lee Johnson

CSUMB Research Scientists and students: Alberto Guzman,Carolyn Rosevelt, Isabel Zaragoza, Michael Hang, TianXiang Wang, Josue Duque, Kali Prescott, Rachel Spellenberg

NASA Civil Servant Collaborators: Rama Nemani, Jennifer Dungan

Primary Objectives

• Apply satellite data, airborne data, and surface sensor networks to model and map agricultural productivity and crop water demand;
• Apply satellite data, climate models, and ecological models to map habitat for disease vectors and model vector-borne disease transmission risk; and
• Apply satellite multispectral and airborne hyperspectral data coupled with field measurements of biological data, to contribute to research on ecosystem health, ecological structure, and benthic habitat biodiversity of coral reefs and associated biotopes (seagrass).