Under the canopy of mangrove forest

Areas of illegal wood harvesting. Scraps and downed wood are left behind.

Discussing the issues of sampling in the illegally cut areas. Left to right: Drs. Mwita Mangora (University of Dar Es Salaam), Carl Trettin (USFS), and SeungKuk Lee (NASA/GSFC)

Slash and burn areas of illegal cutting that will be replaces by rice farms.

Reading the GPS to record the area's land cover/land use. Left to right: Elianaci (Ph.D. student - University of Dar Es Salaam) and David Lagomasino (NASA/GSFC)

Enjoying some mapping in the rain. Left to right: David Lagomasino (NASA/GSFC) and Kekilia Namala (Tanzania Forest Service)

Discussion about mangrove forests and remote sensing applications at the Blue Carbon Remote Sensing Workshop in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania.

Sitting at the campsite and reviewing computer techniques for mapping mangrove forests. David Lagomasino (NASA/GSFC) Kekilia Namala (Tanzanian Forest Service)

Members of the 2008 Siberian Forest Expedition (Ross Nelson, Guoqing Sun, and Paul Montesano) pose with reindeer antleers discovered along the Kotuykan River.

The view to the east as Paul Montesano, Jon, Ranson, and Guoqing Sun take a knee on the cliffs overlooking the confluence of the Kotuykan and Kotuy Rivers

Jon Ranson working on an expedition blog post along the Kotuykan River in northern Siberia, July 2008.

The cliffs above the confluence of the Kotuykan and Kotuy Rivers in northern Siberia.

A solitary Larix gmellini stands beside relic wood and sun-bleached reindeers antlers on a plateau above the Kotuykan River.

Members of the 2012 Siberian Forest Expedition to the Embenchime River in central Siberia.

Day 1 alongside the Mi-8 helicopter at the landing site along the Embenchime River in summer 2012.

Guoqing Sun measures the diameter of an enormous specimen in Corcovado National Park on Costa Rica's wild Osa Peninsula in March 2014.

Siberia's Damschen landscape as seen from the air.

Diseased forests.

Dr. Petya Campbell (UMBC, Code 618) measures leaf spectral reflectance and fluorescence in the USDA Beltsville Agricultural Research Center cornfield. The in situ leaf measurements are compared with direct measurements of leaf photosynthesis and leaf chemistry.

Dr. Petya Campbell (UMBC, Code 618) measures leaf spectral reflectance and fluorescence in the USDA Beltsville Agricultural Research Center cornfield. The in situ leaf measurements are compared with direct measurements of leaf photosynthesis and leaf chemistry.

Dr. Petya Campbell (UMBC, Code 618) measures leaf spectral reflectance and fluorescence in the USDA Beltsville Agricultural Research Center cornfield. The in situ leaf measurements are compared with direct measurements of leaf photosynthesis and leaf chemistry.

Dr. Qingyuan Zhang (USRA, Code 618) and Kristin Frye, a summer student, measure canopy spectral reflectance and fluorescence in the USDA Beltsville Agricultural Research Center cornfield. The Spectral Bio-Indicators group studies the relationships between plant responses to environmental conditions and their optical characteristics.

Members of the Spectral Bio-Indicators group (Code 618) set up automated sensors in the USDA Beltsville Agricultural Research Center cornfield. These sensors are able to measure spectral reflectance and fluorescence of the corn diurnally through the growing season.

Dr. Fred Huemmrich and Dr. Petya Campbell (UMBC. Code 618) measure leaf spectral reflectance and fluorescence in the USDA Beltsville Agricultural Research Center cornfield.

Dr. Elizabeth Middleton (NASA, Code 618) measures corn leaf photosynthesis to examine the responses of leaves to different applications of nitrogen fertilizer.

The instrument head of the LiCor 6400 Portable Photosynthesis System is clamped to a corn leaf to measure its photosynthetic response. These measurements are compared to optical measurements of the leaves as part of the Spectral Bio-Indicators study lead by Dr. Elizabeth Middleton (NASA, Code 618).

Measuring canopy reflectance of the corn can become difficult when the corn gets tall. A pole is used to get the fiber optics above the canopy.

Automated sensors measure chlorophyll fluorescence of corn plants in the USDA Beltsville Agricultural Research Center cornfield. These sensors provide continuous information on leaf photosynthesis and stress responses as part of the Spectral Bio-Indicators study lead by Dr. Elizabeth Middleton (NASA, Code 618).

The automated FUSION sensor system is mounted atop a 10 m tall tower in the USDA Beltsville Agricultural Research Center cornfield. It scans the field measuring bidirectional patterns of spectral reflectance and fluorescence observing diurnal and seasonal changes as part of the Spectral Bio-Indicators study lead by Dr. Elizabeth Middleton (NASA, Code 618).

Yen-Ben Cheng (formerly of ERT and Code 618) measures canopy spectral reflectance with using a backpack spectroradiometer in the USDA Beltsville Agricultural Research Center cornfield as part of the Spectral Bio-Indicators study lead by Dr. Elizabeth Middleton (NASA, Code 618).

Yen-Ben Cheng (formerly of ERT and Code 618) measures canopy spectral reflectance with using a backpack spectroradiometer in the USDA Beltsville Agricultural Research Center cornfield as part of the Spectral Bio-Indicators study lead by Dr. Elizabeth Middleton (NASA, Code 618).

Laura Duncanson (618 Postdoctoral Fellow) doing Rainforest Field work in Mondah Forest, Gabon.

The NASA UAVSAR Crew in front of the C-20A research aircraft from NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. The C-20A is one of two research aircrafts used during the AfriSAR campaign in Gabon. The radar flies 40,000 feet high mounted beneath the C-20A aircraft.

A giant Moabi tree crown over 30 meters in diameter at the Lopé National Park in central Gabon. The picture is taken by the AfriSAR rainforest team (Laura Duncanson/GSFC 618), who collects data on the ground to verify the observations made by the research aircrafts.

Cut tree trunks at the Lopé National Park in central Gabon. This photo was taken by the AfriSAR Rainforest Team (Victoria Meyer/Caltech-JPL).

Group photo of NASA, AGEOS and DLR teams in front of the DLR Dornier aircraft on Media Day.

Giant African Millipede Archispirostreptus.

Left to right: Viannet (ANPN Ecoguard for the Pongara National Park) Marc Simard (Jet Propulsion Laboratory), Lola Fatoyinbo (Goddard Space Flight Center). In the back: Walley, boat pilot.

Lola Fatoyinbo and Marc Simard entering data after mangrove field work in Pongara National Park. The AfriSAR mangrove team collected field measurements of forest canopy height and installed tidal gages to compare the measurements taken from LVIS and UAVSAR to measurements on the ground.

Laura Duncanson in Pongara National Park mangrove forest (Goddard Space Flight Center).

Suzanne Marselis (University of Maryland) getting GPS point in Pongara National Park Mangrove Forest.

Bryan Blair (GSFC), Matt Brame (LaRC) and and David Rabine (GSFC) on the B-200 aircraft working on the Land, Vegetation, and Ice Sensor (LVIS).

Michelle Hofton, Bryan Blair and David Rabine from the LVIS team cooling off under the B-200 wing.

Lola Fatoyinbo and Marc Simard (JPL) installing tidal gages in the Gabon Estuary mangrove channels. These tidal gages will measure water levels for the next 6 months. These measurements will allow the investigators to compare remotely sensed estimates of water levels with actual water levels.

Marc Simard (JPL) measuring canopy height in Pongara National Park. Also shown: Suzanne Marselis (JPL) and Lola Fatoyinbo (GSFC)

The AfriSAR Mangrove team in Pongara National park after a day of field work. From left to right: Suzanne MArselis/ UMD, Laura Duncanson/GSFC, Lola Fatoyinbo/GSFC, Marc Simard/JPL

Mangrove Forest in Pongara National Park. The trees measured in this area had canopy heights over 45 m.

White heron stanging infront of mangrove prop roots.

The Langley Research Center's (LaRC) B-200 aircraft. The LVIS instrument flew onboard the LaRC B-200 during the AfriSAR campaign.

LVIS team members Bryan Blair (GSFC), Michelle Hofton (UMD) and David Rabine (GSFC) with Lead Pilot Richard Yasky in front of the LaRC B-200 airplane.

AfriSAR Rainforest Team and ANPN (Agence Nationale des Parcs Nationaux du Gabon) looking at the entrance signs at the Raponda Walker. Arboretum/Mondah Forest.

Rainforest Understory in Mondah Forest, Gabon.

Forest Canopy in Mondah Forest, Gabon.

The AFriSAR rainforest team. From right to left: Sassan Saatchi (JPL), Victoria Meyer (JPL/CalTech), Laura Duncanson (GSFC), Suzanne Marselis (UMD), 3 ANPN Ecoguards, Leandre ANPN Research Assistant

Laura Duncanson and Sassan Saatchi comparing forest canopy height measurements for a very tall tree in Mondah Forest, Gabon.

Part of the AfriSAR team in front of the NASA LaRC B-200 aircraft.

Two highschool students sitting in the NASA C-20 cockpit on Media Day.

SOLARIS diagnostics

Adrian & Matt working on SOLARIS

GLAMR tunable laser

Joel with new pump laser

Joel working on SOLARIS

Testing pinhole attenuator for SOLARIS

Joel with VIIRS

FPI calibration

SOLARIS with FPI

SOLARIS calibration set-up

Algodones sky

Airplane in Algodones

Joel on the dunes in Algodones

Indiana Joel

Algodones group photo

Algodones tarpaulin measurement with SOLARIS

618-611 collaboration with RSP

GLAMR laser

Biospheric Sciences Laboratory Scientist commenting on maps showing land use around Washington DC area.

Biospheric Sciences Laboratory Scientist explaining the impact of Urbanization on the surface climate in the US.

Biospheric Sciences Laboratory Scientist explaining the use of satellite data in characterizing land cover and land use.

Biospheric Sciences Laboratory Scientist explaining the use of the sun-photometer instrument in measuring atmospheric aerosols.

JBiospheric Sciences Laboratory Scientists explaining the use of remote sensing in land use monitoring.

Biospheric Sciences Laboratory Scientist setting up the sun-photometer.

Michelle Jackson (618) preparing for the science Jamboree.

Michael Taylor (618) explain land use change on a Landsat map.

Brent Holben (618) watching the deployment of the sun-photometer.

Code 618 booth at the 2016 science Jamboree

Code 618 booth at the 2016 science Jamboree

Code 618 booth at the 2016 science Jamboree

Code 618 booth at the 2016 science Jamboree

Code 618 booth at the 2016 science Jamboree

Code 618 booth at the 2016 science Jamboree

Code 618 booth at the 2016 science Jamboree

Summer student intern at the Code 618 boot at the 2016 science Jamboree

Summer student intern and NPP fellow at Code 618 boot at the 2016 science Jamboree. Ilya S. standing at the sun-photometer.

Code 618 booth at the 2016 science Jamboree