Warren B. Cohen

Assistant Professor (Courtesy)
Remote Sensing, Landscape Ecology

321 Richardson Hall
Oregon State University
Corvallis, OR 97331

• Office: 321 Richardson Hall
• Phone: 541-750-7322
• Fax: 541-750-7329

• B.S., 1978, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff
• M.S., 1984, University of Maine, Orono
• Ph.D., 1989, Colorado State University, Ft. Collins

• FS 505, Reading & Conference

Scaling field-based ecological information to landscape and regional levels with remote sensing and models; examining losses of information with scaling-induced generalization; interpretations and applications of lidar data for characterizations of forest structure.

I am leading a program (called BigFoot) to develop and test standardized methods for fine-grained mapping and modeling of land cover, fAPAR, LAI, and NPP across multiple biomes (from Alaskan tundra to Amazonian forest). Resulting surfaces are compared with coarse-grained maps of the same variables developed at the global scale by the MODIS Land Science Team to help improve the quality of MODIS data for global biosphere monitoring. An earlier emphasis on remote sensing of forest structure has evolved into a strong focus on lidar-based characterizations of structure. Unlike conventional remote sensing data, lidar provides direct vertical measurements and is thus a powerful tool in high biomass systems. Multi-seasonal and multi-year satellite imagery is being used to map changes in agricultural, rangeland, grassland, and forest vegetation for ecological and resource management applications.

1. NASA, Terrestrial Ecol. Program, "Linking In situ Measurements, Remote Sensing, and Models to Validate MODIS Products Related to the Terrestrial Carbon Cycle (BigFoot II)," 2001-2004.
2. NASA, Land Cover and Land Use Change Program, "Driving Forces of Change in Regional Carbon Stocks: Comparison of Western Oregon, USA and the St. Petersburg Region, Russia," 2001-2004.
3. EPA, "Regional Analysis of Net Ecosystem Productivitiy of Pacific Northwest Forests: Scaling Methods, Validation and Results Across Major Forest Types and Age Classes," 1999-2002.
4. NASA, Terrestrial Ecol. Program, "Integration of Landsat, Lidar, Ground, and Environmental Data to Improve Characterizations of Forest Structure and Composition," 1998-2001.
5. NASA, Terrestrial Ecol. Program, &nquot;Local Validation of Global Estimates of Biosphere Properties: A Synthesis of Scaling Methods Across Several Major Biomes,&nquot; 1996-1998.

1. Cohen, W.B., T.A. Spies, R.J. Alig, D.R. Oetter, T.K. Maiersperger, and M. Fiorella. In press. Characterizing 23 years (1972-1995) of stand replacement disturbance in western Oregon forests with Landsat imagery. Ecosystems.
2. Lefsky, M.A., W.B. Cohen, D.J. Harding, and G.G. Parker. In press. Lidar remote sensing for forest ecosystem studies. BioScience.
3. Cohen, W.B., T.K. Maiersperger, T.A. Spies, and D.R. Oetter. 2001. Modeling forest cover attributes as continuous variables in a regional context with Thematic Mapperdata. International Journal of Remote Sensing 22:2279-2310.
4. Oetter, D.E., W.B. Cohen, M. Berterretche, T.K. Maiersperger, and R.E. Kennedy. 2001. Land cover mapping in an agricultural setting using multiseasonal Thematic Mapper data. Remote Sensing of Environment 76:139-155.
5. Cohen, W.B. and C.O. Justice. 1999. Validating MODIS terrestrial ecology products: linking in-situ and satellite measurements. Remote Sensing of Environment 70:1-3.
6. Lefsky, M.A., W.B. Cohen, S.A. Acker, G.G. Parker, T.A. Spies, and D. Harding. 1999. Lidar remote sensing of the canopy structure and biophysical properties of Douglas-fir/ western hemlock forests. Remote Sensing of Environment 70:339-361.
7. Cohen, W.B., M.E. Harmon, D.O. Wallin, and M. Fiorella. 1996. Two recent decades of carbon flux from forests of the Pacific Northwest, USA: preliminary estimates. BioScience 46:836-844.
8. Cohen, W.B., T.A. Spies, and G.A. Bradshaw. 1990. Semivariograms of digital imagery for analysis of conifer canopy structure. Remote Sensing of Environment 34:167-178.
9. Cohen, W.B., P.N. Omi, and M.R. Kaufmann. 1990. Heating-related water transport to intact lodgepole pine branches. Forest Science 36:246-254