By Dr. Yeqiao (Y.Q.) Wang
Room K401, CGIS Knafel building (1737 Cambridge St.)
View the recorded presentation. (note - audio on this recording fades in and out)
View the slides.
Abstract
The Appalachian National Scenic Trail (A.T.) is 2,175 miles (3,500 km) long and crosses fourteen (14) states in the eastern United States while intersecting eight (8) National Forests of the USDA Forest Service (FS), six (6) units of the National Park System (NPS), more than seventy (70) State Park, Forest, and Game Management units, and 287 local jurisdictions. The A.T. and its surrounding protected lands harbor forests with some of the greatest biological diversity in the U.S., including rare, threatened, and endangered species, and diverse bird and wildlife habitats, and are the headwaters of important water resources of millions of people. The Trail’s north-south alignment represents a cross-section mega-transect of the eastern United States forests and alpine areas, and offers a setting for collecting scientifically valid and relevant data on the health of the ecosystems and the species that inhabit them. The high elevation setting of the A.T. and its protected corridor provide a barometer for early detection of undesirable changes in the environment and natural resources of the eastern United States, from development encroachment to recreational misuse, acid precipitation, invasions of exotic species, and climate change.
The Appalachian Trail Decision Support System (A.T.-DSS) integrated NASA multi-platform sensor data, Terrestrial Observation and Prediction System (TOPS) models, and in situ measurements from A.T. MEGA-Transect partners to address identified natural resource priorities and improve resource management decisions. This presentation will address the scientific and management questions in 1. Development of a comprehensive set of seamless indicator datasets consistent with environmental vital signs; 2. Establishment of a ground monitoring system to complement remote sensing observations; 3. Assessment of historical and current ecosystem conditions and forecast trends under climate change effects; and 4. Development of an Internet-based implementation and dissemination system for data visualization, sharing, and management to facilitate collaboration and promote public understanding of the Appalachian Trail environment. The on-line decision support system is accessible at http://www.edc.uri.edu/atmt-dss/.
Biography
Dr. Yeqiao (Y.Q.) Wang is a professor at the Department of Natural Resources Science, University of Rhode Island, where he has been on the faculty since 1999. He received his B.S. degree from the Northeast Normal University in 1982 and his M.S. degree in remote sensing and mapping from the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 1987. He received his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Natural Resources Management & Engineering from the University of Connecticut in 1992 and 1995, respectively. From 1995 to 1999, he held the position of Assistant Professor in the Department of Geography and Department of Anthropology, University of Illinois at Chicago. Dr. Wang’s specialties are in terrestrial remote sensing and applications in natural resources analysis and mapping. Particular areas of interests include remote sensing of dynamics of landscape and land-cover/land-use change, in order to develop scientific understanding and models necessary to simulate the processes taking place; to evaluate effects of observed and predicted changes; to understand consequences of changes on environmental goods and services; and to facilitate decision-support for management and governance of natural resources. His research projects have been funded by different agencies that supported his scientific studies in various regions of the United States, in East and West Africa, and in various regions in China. As the Editor-in-Chief, he published the “Encyclopedia of Natural Resources”, a three-volume set of Land, Air and Water, by the Taylor & Francis Group/CRS Press in 2014. He also edited and published the books of “Remote Sensing of Coastal Environments” and “Remote Sensing of Protected Lands” by the CRC Press in 2009 and 2010, respectively. Among his awards and recognitions he is a recipient of a NASA New Investigator Program Award in 1999 and a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers in 2000.
no links
Files:
yq.jpg
