November 2008 - A new web page. After numerous suggestions with our data users, we have developed a new interface/format to our web page. The new inteface allows multiple years of data to be downloaded with a single request. Check out the top menu, where detailed location/instrument information can be found under Monitoring Network. Information about the Center of Remote Sensing and be found under Agricultural Impact. Lastly all data requests can be found under Data Access.
August 2008 - Dr. Wei Gao traveled to San Diego in August to attend the 2008 SPIE Meeting, The International Society for Optical Engineering, and Chaired section 7083, Remote Sensing and Modeling and Ecosystems for Sustainability V, Simulation of cotton yields over the U.S. cotton belt using cotton2K model. He presented ultraviolet ground and space-based measurements, models and effects research on behalf of the USDA UV-B Monitoring and Research Program. He also networked with other researchers from around the world. SPIE is the largest international force for the exchange, collection, and dissemination of knowledge in optics, photonics and imaging. As a member of the SPIE Executive Committee, Dr. Gao also attended additional executive committee meetings.
June 2008 - Dr. Wei Gao traveled to Tampa, Florida, to attend the 2008 Climate Information for Managing Risks (CIMR), Partnerships and Solutions for Agriculture and Natural Resources Symposium in St. Pete Beach, Florida. This was an International Symposium hosted by the University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, and the Southeast Climate Consortium. (The Southeast Climate Consortium (SECC) serves Alabama, Florida, and Georgia in partnership with NOAA Climate Program Office, USDA Risk Management Agency, and USDA Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service.) Dr. Gao presented the USDA UV-B Monitoring and Research Program's research and modeling results, which highlighted the Program's capabilities. During poster presentations, he presented Modeling U.S. Cotton Yields and Climate Stresses during 1979-2005: Preliminary Result. In addition to the Symposium, he attended several meetings with conference scientists to discuss research
March 2008 - Mr. Mark Beaubien, president and CEO of Yankee Environmental Services, the manufacturer of the shadowband instruments used in the UVMRP network, visited the project’s office to get an update on the performance of these instruments over the past 13+ years.
March 2008 - Dr. Wei Gao and Research Associate George Janson traveled to Tucson, AZ, to participate in the 2008 Western Association of Agricultural Experiment Station Directors (WAAESD) Spring Meeting. They presented the program's National Research Support Project (NRSP) proposal, USDA UV-B Monitoring and Research Program: Enhancement of Network Data Products, Research Support, and National Research Collaboration. The NRSP proposal was also presented in Knoxville, TN, at the 2008 Southern Association of Agricultural Experiment Station Directors (SAAESD) Spring Meeting, March 31-April 2.
February 13, 2008 - America View, National Consortium for Remote Sensing Education, Research and Applications, formally confirmed the acceptance of ColoradoView, under the leadership of Colorado State University, to new Affiliate membership in the AmericaView national consortium. Other individuals who will have a major role in the consortium are Dr. Thomas Stohlgren, USGS Fort Collins Science Center, and Dr. Michael Lefsky, Forest Rangeland Watershed Stewardship, Colorado State University. AmericaView supports the goals of the AV Program by further expanding communications networks, facilities, and capabilities for acquiring and sharing remotely sensed data among AmericaView members. The Consortium is actively working with the USGS and universities across the country to expand participation in the AV Program to all 50 states.
William K. Smith (Dr. Wei Gao, advisor) graduated summer 2008 with a Master's Degree in Ecology awarded by the Graduate Degree Program in Ecology at Colorado State University. The title of his thesis was Ultraviolet-B Radiation: Impacts on Litter Decomposition Under Different Precipitation Regimes and Biotics. He is currently in the process of submitting two publications from his thesis.
Chelsea Corr (Dr. James Slusser, co-advisor) graduated with a Master's Degree in Atmospheric Science awarded by the Department of Atmospheric Science at Colorado State University. The title of her thesis was Retrieval of aerosol single scattering albedo at UV wavelengths for two urban field campaigns. She is currently in the process of preparing and submitting a publication from her thesis work. She is attending the University of New Hampshire, is enrolled in the Natural Resources and Earth System Sciences program for a PhD in Earth and Environmental Science. Her work will focus on pollution transport and evolution in the Arctic.