Abigail Barenblitt
(FACULTY ASSISTANT)
| Email: | abigail.barenblitt@nasa.gov |
| Phone: | 301.614.6655 |
| Org Code: | |
| Address: |
NASA/GSFC Mail Code 618 Greenbelt, MD 20771 |
| Employer: | UNIV OF MARYLAND COLLEGE PARK |
Brief Bio
Abigail Barenblit is a Spatial Analyst and Faculty Specialist in NASA's Biospheric Sciences Lab. She earned her B.S. in Environmental Science and Policy at the University of Maryland and she holds an M.S. in Wildlife & Fisheries Science from Penn State. Her M.S. research focused on the relationship between forest complexity and avian species richness. During her field work days, she worked in Panama studying the courtship behavior of lance-tailed manakins. Her current research focuses on applications of lidar for biodiversity monitoring. She also creates tools for science communication through the development of Google Earth Engine programming tutorials and interactive map applications. She completed her PhD in Geographic Information Systems at University of Maryland researching the use of satellite data to study biodiversity hotspots.
Research Interests
Biodiversity
Lidar
Landcover changes
Mangroves
Forests
Landsat
Current Projects
Lidar and Landcover Changed
Land Cover/Use
Mapping landcover changes driven by resource extraction
Biodiversity monitoring
Applications of lidar to canopy height/ biomass mapping and biodiversity hotspot predictions
Positions/Employment
Faculty Specialist
ESSIC-NASA - GSFC
2019 - Present
· Creates spatial quantitative analyses utilizing bird and chimpanzee data and cloud computing to improve species distribution models through the application of spaceborne LiDAR and other emerging technologies
· Leverages remote sensing data using Google Earth Engine, R, and the Multi-Mission Algorithm and Analysis Platform to research forest structure in Protected Areas and drivers of deforestation in mangroves to inform forest restoration efforts
· Collaborates with organizations like the Jane Goodall Institute, International Union for Conservation of Nature, African Nature Investors, and Ghana Space Science Technology Institute to create tools for monitoring and meeting UN Sustainable Development Goals, prioritizing restoration, and identifying areas of highest conservation priority
· Leads tutorials and workshops in Ghana, Senegal, and online to improve capacity of in-country land managers and researchers to code and access Earth Observation data
· Creates interactive Google Earth Engine apps to display results from research projects
· Writes blog posts to communicate scientific findings to a non-technical audience
· Furthers the research efforts of the Mangrove Science Lab through the creation of figures, online trainings, and website content
Acting Center Lead and Team Member
DEVELOP-NASA - GSFC
2019 - 2019
· Led and coordinated a team of participants to ensure project met deadlines and achieved U.S. Forest Service’s goal to understand the impact of large wildfires on landcover changes and hydrology
· Collaborated with researchers and partners to create and submit internal proposals for future DEVELOP projects to improve capacity building opportunities for land managers and early career scientists
· Analyzed the impact of recent wildfires on Gila National Forest’s water resources using Google Earth Engine’s LandTrendr algorithm, R, ArcMap, and other remote sensing and GIS tools resulting in guidance for future monitoring of post-fire floods
· Conducted feasibility study to create a species distribution map of hemlock forests in New York using satellite imagery and created a technical paper, tutorial, video presentation, and poster to disseminate results to the Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program
· Analyzed optical satellite data from Landsat and Sentinel-2 using Google Earth Engine, ArcMap, R, Python, and assorted remote sensing and GIS tools to predict impact of Hemlock woolly adelgid under different climate change scenarios
Teaching Experience
Introduction to Vertebrates Teaching Assistant | 2014, 2016
· Taught 40+ students how to conduct dissections of a variety of vertebrate specimens to assist in their study of zoology
· Aided and mentored students with questions regarding vertebrate zoology and evolution
Ornithology Teaching Assistant | 2016
· Instructed 20+ students how to identify birds by sight and song in the field
· Instructed students in avian morphology, courtship, and evolution
· Used eBird to record observations of avian species in the field to contribute to community science collection
Education
University of Maryland
2021-2026
PhD Geographical Sciences
2009-2013
BS Environmental Science and
Policy, Wildlife Ecology and
Management
Minor: Spanish Language
Penn State University
2014-2017
MS Wildlife and Fisheries
Science
Selected Publications
Refereed
2021. "The large footprint of small-scale artisanal gold mining in Ghana.", Science of The Total Environment, 781 146644 [10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.146644] [Journal Article/Letter]
2021. "Large-Scale High-Resolution Coastal Mangrove Forests Mapping Across West Africa With Machine Learning Ensemble and Satellite Big Data.", Frontiers in Earth Science, 8 [10.3389/feart.2020.560933] [Journal Article/Letter]
Talks, Presentations and Posters
Other
A Barenblitt, T Fatoyinbo, A Stovall, L Duncanson, M Liang, V Leitold. (2025). If a tree is" Protected", is it? Using satellite-borne lidar to understand efficacy of protection status in West African Protected Areas. Living Planet Symposium 2025.
December 2025
A. Barenblitt, L. Fatoyinbo, A. Stovall, L. Duncanson, M. Liang, V. Leitold. (2024). If a tree is “Protected”, is it? Using satellite-borne LiDAR to understand efficacy of protection status in West African mangrove.es. ForestSAT.
December 2024
A. Barenblitt, L. Fatoyinbo, A. Stovall, L. Duncanson, M. Liang, V. Leitold. (2024). If a tree is “Protected”, is it? Using satellite-borne LiDAR to understand efficacy of protection status in West African mangroves. American Geophysical Union.
December 2024
A. Barenblitt, L. Fatoyinbo, A. Stovall, L. Duncanson, M. Liang, V. Leitold. (2023). If a Mangrove is “Protected”, is it? Using satellite-borne LiDAR to understand efficacy of protection status in West African mangroves. MMM6.
December 2023
A. Barenblitt, L. Fatoyinbo, A. Stovall, L. Duncanson, M. Liang, V. Leitold. (2023). If a Mangrove is “Protected”, is it? Using satellite-borne LiDAR to understand efficacy of protection status in West African mangroves. American Geophysical Union.
December 2023
A. Barenblitt. (2022). Monitoring Mangroves and Associated Ecosystems Using Earth Observations. PECORA.
December 2022
A. Barenblitt. (2022). Applications of Landsat data in support of SDG15 in Benin and Ghana. PECORA.
December 2022
N. Thomas, L. Fatoyinbo, D. Lagomasino, B. Lee, O. Coutts, P. Bunting, A. Barenblitt. (2022). Regional bathymetry mapping with spaceborne lidar and optical data. COSPAR Scientific Assembly.
December 2022
A. Barenblitt, L. Fatoyinbo, N. Thomas, A. Stovall, C. de Sousa, C. Nwobi, L. Duncanson. (2022). Invasion in the Niger Delta: Using Google Earth Engine to remotely sense mangrove conversion to Nypa fruticans from 2015-2020. 44th COSPAR Scientific Assembly.
December 2022
A. Barenblitt, A. Payton, D. Lagomasino, L. Fatoyinbo, K. Asare, K. Aidoo, H. Pigott, C. Som, L. Smeets, O. Seidu, D. Wood. (2022). The large footprint of small-scale artisanal gold mining in Ghana. American Geophysical Union.
December 2022
D. Wood, L. Fatoyinbo, D. Lagomasino, U. Ovienmhada, A. Barenblitt, A. Payton, J. Reid, S. Lombardo, E. Ashcroft. (2021). Environment-Vulnerability-Decision-Technology (EVDT): A Framework for Integrated Environmental & Socioeconomic Analysis using Biodiversity Knowledge to Inform Policy Decisions. American Geophysical Union.
December 2021
A. Payton, L. Fatoyinbo, K. Asare, K. Som, L. Smeets, M. Jiang, C. de Sousa, A. Barenblitt, K. Aidoo, O. Seidu, S. Lombardo, D. Wood. (2021). Recent Trends in Land Cover and Climate Across Ghana. American Geophysical Union.
December 2021
A. Barenblitt, L. Fatoyinbo, N. Thomas, A. Stovall, C. de Sousa, C. Nwobi, L. Duncanson. (2021). Invasion in the Niger Delta: Remote Sensing of Mangrove Conversion to Nypa Fructans from 2015-2020. American Geophysical Union.
December 2021
A. Barenblitt. (2016). Influence of forest stand complexity on forest songbird diversity within large tracts of second-growth forest in Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania Chapter of the Wildlife Society Conference.
December 2016
A. Barenblitt. (2016). Influence of local forest features on songbirds within large tracts of forest. Northeast Fish and Wildlife Conference.
December 2016
A. Barenblitt. (2016). Influence of local forest features on songbirds within large tracts of forest. The North American Ornithological Conference.
December 2016