Thiago Silva

PhD Geography

Research Areas:
I am currently a post-doctoral fellow at the Remote Sensing Division of the National Institute for Space Research (INPE) in Brazil. My research interests lie on the use of Geomatics to study and model spatial and temporal ecological processes on wetland environments, at the landscape and ecosystem levels. I am especially interested in understanding and predicting the effects of climatic and environmental change on wetland vegetation ecology and biogeochemistry
 
Thesis Project:
My thesis research focused on assessing the contribution of aquatic plants (macrophytes) to the carbon balance of the Amazon floodplain, and its susceptibility to climate change. The amazonian macrophytes are associated with the highest methane emission rates in the floodplain, and also exhibit the highest degree of variability both in space (distibution) and time (productivity), thus representing one of the primary sources of uncertainty in current carbon cycle models for flooded Amazon ecosystems.
 
To see what Thiago is working on now visit here.  

Laurie Gallagher

MSc Geography

Laurie's thesis project evaluated the use of remote sensing to retrieve the optical and geochemical properties of inland and coastal waters. Traditionally, water quality sampling involves in-situ measurements as well as the collection of water samples for subsequent laboratory analysis. These methods are time intensive and expensive and do not provide a spatial or temporal view of water quality. The use of remote sensing provides the potential for less expensive analysis of water quality and allows an evaluation of the spatial and temporal distribution of water components using aircraft-based and/or satellite-based sensors

Christiaan Piller

MSc Geography

Optical remote detection of surface water quality for open ocean waters has been ongoing since the 1960’s.  This method of detection is much more challenging and not yet standard practice for the more optically complex inland and coastal waters.  My research project dealt with the investigation of the potential application of airborne hyperspectral sensors to detect water quality in the Cowichan watershed, on Vancouver Island, BC.  Lake Cowichan and Cowichan Bay, both apart of the watershed, have been examined as the inlands and coastal water bodies, respectively.