Seeking a US citizen with a background in Computer Science, Environmental Engineering, Mathematics, or Physical Sciences to monitor and study lakes using remote sensing data in a changing climate.

The candidate will analyze global lakes using satellite sensors, validate satellite products with ground observations, develop algorithms to predict Chl-a and HAB concentrations, and study ice phenology to understand the impact of climate change on lakes.

Science

Sustainability

United States

New York

Fortune 500

For more than 60 years, NASA has been breaking barriers to achieve the seemingly impossible—from walking on the Moon to pushing the boundaries of human spaceflight farther than ever before. We work in space and around the world in laboratories and wind tunnels, on airfields and in control rooms to explore some of life’s fundamental mysteries: What’s out there in space? How do we get there? And what can we learn that will make life better here on Earth?We are passionate professionals united by a common purpose: to pioneer the future in space exploration, scientific discovery and aeronautics research. Today, we continue NASA’s legacy of excellence and innovation through an unprecedented array of missions. We are developing the most advanced rockets and spacecraft ever designed, studying the Earth for answers to critical challenges facing our planet, improving the air transportation experience, and so much more.Join us as we reach for new heights and reveal the unknown for the benefit of humanity.

Defence & Aerospace

NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Aerospace

<ul><li>Climate change has impacted all components of the environment, and the impacts on global lakes have been quite noticeable. There are over 100 million lakes on Earth (excluding those that are covered with glaciers), covering roughly 4% of the total land surface. Natural lakes and man-made reservoirs are essential sources of freshwater, and they provide inarguably important services to society. They are used for fresh drinking water, municipalities, recreational activities, and fisheries. Moreover, lakes play a major role in carbon sequestration and thereby are critically important for our planet. Many lakes have been desiccated by the adverse impacts of climate change, and their ensuing degraded water quality has led to major losses in economic and ecological value as they have now become significant societal and health risks. In addition to climate change desiccation, lakes are dying and degrading due to human mismanagement, point and non-point source pollution, and general loss. The extent and rate of global “lake-loss” is not fully understood. Therefore, many aspects of in-land water bodies require robust, comprehensive study and monitoring in order to achieve sustainable environments, habitats, economies, and agriculture. Spaceborne&nbsp;remote&nbsp;sensing observations with their unique spatial and temporal coverage have considerable capabilities for supporting investigations of the Earth system including in-land water bodies. This project, therefore, focuses on the application of satellite&nbsp;remote&nbsp;sensing and geographic information system techniques complimented by ground observations to study lakes and to provide insights about “lake-health” and about “lake-response” to the adverse impacts of climate change. Interns will obtain and analyze satellite data from geostationary and polar orbiting satellites such as the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-R Series (GOES-R), LandSat, ECOSTRESS, Sentinel 2A, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), etc.</li></ul>

Undergraduate

Third Year

Final Year

First Year 

Second Year

Masters

Climate change has impacted all components of the environment, and the impacts on global lakes have been quite noticeable. There are over 100 million lakes on Earth (excluding those that are covered with glaciers), covering roughly 4% of the total land surface. Natural lakes and man-made reservoirs are essential sources of freshwater, and they provide inarguably important services to society. They are used for fresh drinking water, municipalities, recreational activities, and fisheries. Moreover, lakes play a major role in carbon sequestration and thereby are critically important for our planet. Many lakes have been desiccated by the adverse impacts of climate change, and their ensuing degraded water quality has led to major losses in economic and ecological value as they have now become significant societal and health risks. In addition to climate change desiccation, lakes are dying and degrading due to human mismanagement, point and non-point source pollution, and general loss. The extent and rate of global “lake-loss” is not fully understood. Therefore, many aspects of in-land water bodies require robust, comprehensive study and monitoring in order to achieve sustainable environments, habitats, economies, and agriculture. Spaceborne remote sensing observations with their unique spatial and temporal coverage have considerable capabilities for supporting investigations of the Earth system including in-land water bodies. This project, therefore, focuses on the application of satellite remote sensing and geographic information system techniques complimented by ground observations to study lakes and to provide insights about “lake-health” and about “lake-response” to the adverse impacts of climate change. Interns will obtain and analyze satellite data from geostationary and polar orbiting satellites such as the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-R Series (GOES-R), LandSat, ECOSTRESS, Sentinel 2A, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), etc.

CCRI - Monitoring and Studying Lakes from Space in a Changing Climate

Requirements

Responsibilities

NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Mission & Purpose