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The Big Picture: from data to models and beyond. |
NASA's space-based sensors and advanced computational, modeling, and information technologies are key to addressing invasive species science and policy on national and global scales. In addition, NASA's unique role in developing remote sensing capabilities and in understanding the Earth system -- together with the urgency of the invasive species threat, the ready partnership of the USGS, and the compelling societal and economic benefits of the National Invasive Species Forecasting System -- make this project strategically important to NASA. For example, scientists now know that both the potential for movements of invasive species and the susceptibility of sensitive habitats to new invaders are strongly influenced by climate warming as well as changes in rainfall, soil moisture, and runoff, and are increasingly driven by extreme events. At the same time, many invasive species greatly alter the water relations, carbon storage, fire cycle, and reflectance properties of landscapes. The study of invasive species in itself may be an important feedback link to understanding Earth's climate systems.
A wide range of existing and emerging NASA Earth Science Enterprise technologies will be central to a better understanding and assessment of invasive species risk. The NASA Earth Science Enterprise currently provides measurements from Terra, Aqua, Landsat 7, EO-1, and other missions that map key ecosystem attributes needed to predict invasive species distributions. A number of planned missions will expand these measurements to include critical three-dimensional structure derived from synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and light detection and ranging (LIDAR) technologies. Measurements are also supported through a variety of data purchase programs.
See Also: |
U.S. Department of the Interior | U.S. Geological Survey
URL: http://www.fort.usgs.gov/resources/spotlight/EcoForecasting/EF_NASA.asp
Page Contact Information: AskFORT@usgs.gov
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