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Scientists are creating ways to compile and interpret an abundance of high-resolution satellite images on a continental scale to better understand Antarctica, Arizona and the world.<\/p>\n
The same sophisticated satellite imaging techniques being developed to map and identify the size and composition of uncharted land in Antarctica soon may help scientists produce finely detailed geologic maps of the Lower Colorado River Corridor and better understand its geologic history.<\/p>\n
Mark Salvatore<\/strong>, an assistant professor in Northern Arizona University\u2019s Department of Astronomy and Planetary Science<\/a>, is leading a three-year project funded through a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant of more than $167,000 to develop a protocol to analyze a massive amount of data\u2014more than 60,000 images\u2014across the frozen landscape of Antarctica. This work is part of a larger collaborative project run through Stony Brook University in New York.<\/p>\n \u201cOur research objective is to understand the biological, geological and hydrological functioning of the polar regions on a scale that has been beyond our reach until now, and to develop tools that can be applied globally,\u201d Salvatore said. \u201cThe result of our work will be what we\u2019re calling ICEBERG, or Imagery Cyberinfrastructure and Extensible Building-Blocks to Enhance Research in the Geosciences, a system for coupling open-source image analysis tools with the use of high-performance and distributed computing for imagery-enabled geoscience research.\u201d<\/p>\n Ultimately, Salvatore\u00a0aims to build the cyberinfrastructure required to make the most of satellite imagery for geosciences, starting with researchers working in polar areas, and then branching out to the larger non-polar community.<\/p>\n \u201cThis new imagery-computing superhighway that we\u2019re creating will make it easier and far more efficient for scientists to study processes at much larger spatial scales than has been previously possible. Scientists who don\u2019t have the background in remote sensing will be able to simply command a computer program to run calculations to locate a particular rock type, for example, or all the blue ice in Antarctica.\u201d<\/p>\n Another key element of the ICEBERG study is training undergraduate and graduate students in remote sensing technologies. Salvatore was recently awarded a $43,000 supplement from the NSF INTERN Program to support a related project to be carried out by NAU doctoral student Helen Eifert<\/strong>. Eifert, who\u2019s been documenting polar rock types for ICEBERG, will intern with a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) team in Flagstaff next semester, utilizing her satellite imaging interpretation skills to contribute to a USGS project entitled \u201cGeologic Mapping of the Lower Colorado River System (LOCOS).\u201d<\/p>\n The goal of the LOCOS project, which is funded by the National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program (NCGMP), is to systematically map mostly surficial geology along the Colorado River corridor in western Arizona, eastern Nevada and California. High-resolution multi-spectral satellite imagery that is available for the region will be processed to inform on the lithology of the surficial units using the ICEBERG protocols. Eifert will validate the remote sensing techniques used to read the satellite imagery on a large scale to provide new insights into the geology of the area, helping the USGS team in its ongoing efforts to geologically map this region. This work highlights the ongoing and growing relationship between NAU\u2019s Department of Astronomy and Planetary Science and the USGS.<\/p>\n \u201cSatellite imagery can be used to help identify the composition of large rock units and broad mineral trends,\u201d Eifert said. \u201cThis understanding can help pick out the best sites for field mapping and prepare us for what we might see on the ground. My time in the field with the USGS will help with the validation of our interpretation methods on the ICEBERG project, which is especially useful since Antarctica is harder to get to.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA lot is unknown about Antarctica,\u201d Salvatore said. \u201cWe don\u2019t have a good grasp of how much land area is exposed on the continent, or even where ice is and where it\u2019s not. Satellite imagery has been around for a while and we\u2019ve used these spectral tools to understand the composition of planetary surfaces, but what\u2019s new is our ability to use these at high volume and large scale, by working with cyberinfrastructure experts and computer scientists.\u201d<\/p>\n Salvatore explains that in the past, scientists had to choose between high resolution and scale.<\/p>\n \u201cWith high resolution, you can see smaller and smaller things, but oftentimes high resolution means you can only map a small area\u201d he said. \u201cFor the first time we have the ability to automate these processes and take high resolution to scale. We can map car-sized objects across the entirety of Antarctica. No one was able to put the two together in the past.\u201d<\/p>\n Salvatore says the dataset will be able to quickly spit out information about big science questions like, how much ice exists this year versus next year, and where glacial melt lakes are located. This is of particular interest to Salvatore as he searches for extremophiles\u2014microscopic life that exists in harsh environments\u2014near the South Pole and on other planets.<\/p>\n \u201cNear-real time datasets of geological and biological importance at the continental scale are within our reach when we create those critical cyberinfrastructure components,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Eifert\u2019s involvement in global research and internship with the USGS supports NAU\u2019s goal of encouraging young woman scientists to pursue careers in their field of study, whether in academia, industry or government.<\/p>\n \u201cThis internship will be a great platform for launching my future pursuits in potential non-academic fields,\u201d Eifert said.<\/p>\n The ICEBERG Project and USGS collaborative work are funded through the NSF EarthCube Program (NSF Award No. 1740450) and the NSF INTERN Program (NSF Award No. 1933896), respectively.<\/p>\nExploring the Colorado River by satellite <\/strong><\/h3>\n
Near-real time datasets at the continental scale now within reach<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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