Is nature predictable? If so, how can we better manage and conserve ecosystems? Iterative ecological forecasting is an emerging interdisciplinary research area that aims to improve researchers' ability to predict ecological processes on near-term timescales that can be validated and updated. In this forum, Dietze will discuss the challenges and opportunities in iterative ecological forecasting,…

From deforestation to urbanization, the human footprint on the land surface is ever expanding, converting natural land covers into land uses or intensifying current land uses. Land use change results in loss of biodiversity, increased greenhouse gas emissions, and alteration of hydrological systems, among other impacts. Rates of land use change can be quantified using…

A community-engaged information-gathering effort is being conducted to inform air quality sampling strategy in Colfax, Louisiana, a low income, majority-Black community which hosts a hazardous materials thermal treatment (TT) facility. Our mixed-methods approach combines mapping with qualitative analysis to synthesize information on exposures within Colfax and the nearby community of The Rock, which are proximal…

A rapidly growing body of work suggests mountain streams emit surprisingly large amounts of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. Studies in these environments are scarce and estimates of CO2 fluxes from aquatic environments are poorly constrained. High-altitude tropical grasslands, known as “páramos,” are characterized by high solar radiation, high precipitation, and low temperature. They also…

The discipline of land change science has been evolving rapidly in the past decades. Remote sensing has played a major role in one of the most critical components of land change science, which includes observation, monitoring, and characterization of land change. In this forum presentation, Dr. Zhu will first introduce a new remote sensing perspective…

Geospatial Analytics Ph.D. students will share current research in a series of lightning talks:

(Spatial) Scales of Justice: Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility in Participatory Sciences Summary: The participatory sciences manage public engagement to create bridges between science and society, taking different forms in different disciplines. The discoveries and advances through these large collective efforts are unique and not possible by people working alone. With innovations in geospatial and data…

Modeling Threats to the Nation's Forests Driven by Global Change Hosted by: Dr. Adam Terando Summary: Forests across the U.S. support biodiversity and provide ecosystem services, including water quality and carbon storage. Knowledge about the impacts of global change drivers, including climate and land-use change, on forested landscapes in the U.S. is therefore important for…

Tradeoff Analyses Using Spatially Informed Natural Resource Economic Modeling Summary: Forthcoming. About the speaker: Dr. Justin Baker is an associate professor in NC State's Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources. Justin uses geospatial analytics and structural economic models to capture spatial and temporal dependencies between markets, natural resource systems, infrastructure and policy constraints. He develops…