Ben DeVries
A5087382484- Remote Sensing and LiDAR Applications
- Forest Management and Policy
- Hydrology and Watershed Management Studies
- Remote Sensing in Agriculture
- Flood Risk Assessment and Management
- Species Distribution and Climate Change
- Peatlands and Wetlands Ecology
- Forest ecology and management
- Climate change and permafrost
- Conservation, Biodiversity, and Resource Management
- Soil erosion and sediment transport
- Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies
- Land Use and Ecosystem Services
- Cryospheric studies and observations
- Hydrology and Sediment Transport Processes
- Plant and animal studies
- Coastal wetland ecosystem dynamics
- Atmospheric and Environmental Gas Dynamics
- Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
- Tropical and Extratropical Cyclones Research
- Plant Water Relations and Carbon Dynamics
- Forest Ecology and Biodiversity Studies
- Arctic and Antarctic ice dynamics
- Forest Biomass Utilization and Management
- Soil and Water Nutrient Dynamics
University of Guelph
2020-2025
University of Maryland, College Park
2016-2025
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council
2023
Université du Québec à Montréal
2023
Wageningen University & Research
2012-2016
Ontario Institute for Cancer Research
2006
University Health Network
2006
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
1996
Regina Qu'Appelle Health Region
1970
We combined two existing datasets of vegetation aboveground biomass (AGB) (Proceedings the National Academy Sciences United States America, 108, 2011, 9899; Nature Climate Change, 2, 2012, 182) into a pan-tropical AGB map at 1-km resolution using an independent reference dataset field observations and locally calibrated high-resolution maps, harmonized upscaled to 14 477 estimates. Our data fusion approach uses bias removal weighted linear averaging that incorporates spatializes patterns...
Accurately quantifying surface water extent in wetlands is critical to understanding their role ecosystem processes. However, current regional- global-scale products lack the spatial or temporal resolution necessary characterize heterogeneous variable wetlands. Here, we proposed a fully automatic classification tree approach classify using Sentinel-1 synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data and training datasets derived from prior class masks. Prior classes of non-water were generated Shuttle...
Abstract Forests are a substantial terrestrial carbon sink, but anthropogenic changes in land use and climate have considerably reduced the scale of this system 1 . Remote-sensing estimates to quantify losses from global forests 2–5 characterized by considerable uncertainty we lack comprehensive ground-sourced evaluation benchmark these estimates. Here combine several 6 satellite-derived approaches 2,7,8 evaluate forest potential outside agricultural urban lands. Despite regional variation,...
Determining the drivers of non-native plant invasions is critical for managing native ecosystems and limiting spread invasive species1,2. Tree in particular have been relatively overlooked, even though they potential to transform economies3,4. Here, leveraging global tree databases5-7, we explore how phylogenetic functional diversity communities, human pressure environment influence establishment species subsequent invasion severity. We find that anthropogenic factors are key predicting...
Novel species of fungi described in the present study include following from South Africa: Alanphillipsia aloeicola Aloe sp., Arxiella dolichandrae Dolichandra unguiscati, Ganoderma austroafricanum Jacaranda mimosifolia, Phacidiella podocarpi and Phaeosphaeria Podocarpus latifolius, Phyllosticta mimusopisicola Mimusops zeyheri Sphaerulina pelargonii Pelargonium sp. Furthermore, Barssia maroccana is Cedrus atlantica (Morocco), Codinaea pini Pinus patula (Uganda), Crucellisporiopsis marquesiae...
We present a fully automated and scalable algorithm for quantifying surface water inundation in wetlands. Requiring no external training data, our estimates sub-pixel fraction (SWF) over large areas long time periods using Landsat data. tested SWF three wetland sites across North America, including the Prairie Pothole Region, Delmarva Peninsula Everglades, representing gradient of vegetation conditions. estimated at 30-m resolution with accuracies ranging from normalized...
In many Sub-Saharan African countries, fuelwood collection is among the most important drivers of deforestation and particularly forest degradation. a detailed field study in Kafa region southern Ethiopia, we assessed potential efficient cooking stoves to mitigate negative impacts harvesting on forests. Eleven thousand improved (ICS), specifically designed for baking Ethiopia’s staple food injera, referred locally as “Mirt” stoves, have been distributed here. We found high acceptance rate...
Increasing awareness of the issue deforestation and degradation in tropics has resulted efforts to monitor forest resources tropical countries. Advances satellite-based remote sensing ground-based technologies have allowed for monitoring forests with high spatial, temporal thematic detail. Despite these advances, there is a need engage communities activities include stakeholders national systems. In this study, we analyzed activity data (deforestation degradation) collected by local experts...
Watershed resilience is the ability of a watershed to maintain its characteristic system state while concurrently resisting, adapting to, and reorganizing after hydrological (for example, drought, flooding) or biogeochemical excessive nutrient) disturbances. Vulnerable waters include non-floodplain wetlands headwater streams, abundant components representing most distal extent freshwater aquatic network. are hydrologically dynamic biogeochemically reactive systems, storing, processing,...
Remotely sensed data has the potential to monitor natural hazards and their consequences on socio-economic systems. However, in much of world, inadequate validation disaster damage make reliable use satellite difficult. We attempt strengthen for one application - flood index insurance which manage largely uninsured losses from floods. Flood is a particularly challenging remote sensing due floods' speed, unpredictability, significant required. propose set criteria assessing algorithm...
Abstract The density of wood is a key indicator the carbon investment strategies trees, impacting productivity and storage. Despite its importance, global variation in environmental controls remain poorly understood, preventing accurate predictions forest stocks. Here we analyse information from 1.1 million inventory plots alongside data 10,703 tree species to create spatially explicit understanding distribution drivers. Our findings reveal pronounced latitudinal gradient, with tropical...
Wetlands are often dominant features in low relief, depressional landscapes and provide an array of hydrologically driven ecosystem services. However, contemporary models do not adequately represent the role spatially distributed wetlands watershed-scale water storage flows. Such tools critical to better understand wetland hydrological, biogeochemical, biological functions predict management policy outcomes at varying spatial scales. To develop a new approach for simulating landscapes, we...
Abstract Understanding what controls global leaf type variation in trees is crucial for comprehending their role terrestrial ecosystems, including carbon, water and nutrient dynamics. Yet our understanding of the factors influencing forest types remains incomplete, leaving us uncertain about proportions needle-leaved, broadleaved, evergreen deciduous trees. To address these gaps, we conducted a global, ground-sourced assessment leaf-type by integrating inventory data with comprehensive form...
Abstract 1. Biodiversity is an important component of natural ecosystems, with higher species richness often correlating increase in ecosystem productivity. Yet, this relationship varies substantially across environments, typically becoming less pronounced at high levels richness. However, alone cannot reflect all properties a community, including community evenness, which may mediate the between biodiversity and If evenness correlates negatively forests globally, then greater number not...
Abstract For monitoring and reporting forest carbon stocks fluxes, many countries in the tropics subtropics rely on default values of aboveground biomass (AGB) from Intergovernmental Panel Climate Change (IPCC) guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Inventories. Default IPCC AGB originated 2006, are relatively crude estimates average per continent ecological zone. The 2006 were based limited plot data available at time, methods their derivation not fully clear, no distinction between...
Within the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD+) framework, involvement of local communities in national forest monitoring activities has potential to enhance efficiency at lower costs while simultaneously promoting transparency better management. We assessed consistency data (mostly activity related change) collected by experts UNESCO Kafa Biosphere Reserve, Ethiopia. Professional ground measurements high resolution satellite images were used as validation assess...
This paper describes an interactive web-based near real-time (NRT) forest monitoring system using four levels of geographic information services: 1) the acquisition continuous data streams from satellite and community-based mobile devices, 2) NRT disturbance detection based on time-series, 3) presentation through a application social media 4) interaction alerts with end-user communities to enhance collection ground data. The is developed open source technologies has been implemented together...