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Anna Windle

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Anna Windle

  • Satellite Mission Post-Doctoral Fellow
  • NASA/GSFC
  • Mail Code: 616
  • LANHAM , MD 20706
  • Employer: SCIENCE SYSTEMS AND APPLICATIONS INC

    • Brief Bio

    Dr. Anna Windle is an early career scientist, working as a Post-Doctoral Fellow in support of the NASA Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, and ocean Ecosystem (PACE) satellite mission. She received her Ph.D. in Marine, Estuarine, Environmental Sciences at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES) at Horn Point Lab in Cambridge, MD in 2023. Her dissertation focused on incorporating in situ, unoccupied aircraft systems (UAS, drones) and earth observing satellites to enhance environmental remote sensing in Chesapeake Bay. She has expertise in satellite and UAS remote sensing, ocean color, and optical oceanography.

    She received a Master's of Environmental Management (M.E.M.) from Duke University in 2018 and a B.S. in Environmental Sciences from Washington College in 2016.

    Anna is passionate about education and outreach and has worked with K-12 teachers to develop environmental education lesson plans and has run drone mapping workshops for local students.

    Current Projects

    PACE Phytoplankton Community Composition

    My research focuses on processing and evaluating existing satellite and field data with the goal of developing and improving satellite methods for derivation of metrics related to phytoplankton community composition and particle size distributions.

    Positions/Employment

    6/2023 - Present

    Satellite Mission Post-Doctoral Fellow

    Science Systems and Applications, Inc., Goddard Space Flight Center
    8/2018 - 5/2023

    Graduate Research Assistant

    University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, Cambridge, MD
    2017 - 2018

    Community Outreach Coordinator

    Duke University Marine Lab, Beaufort, NC
    2016 - 2018

    Graduate Research Assistant

    Marine Robotics and Remote Sensing Lab, Duke Marine Lab, Beaufort, NC

    Teaching Experience

    • Teaching Assistant, MEES621: Biological Oceanography, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science. Spring 2023.
    • Guest Lecturer, ENV311: Field Methods, Washington College. 2019, 2020, 2021

    Education

    Ph.D., Marine Estuarine Environmental Science, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES), Horn Point Laboratory, Cambridge, MD, August 2018 - May 2023. Dissertation: Incorporating unoccupied aircraft systems (UAS) and earth observing satellites to enhance satellite remote sensing of Chesapeake Bay. Advisor: Professor Greg Silsbe

    M.E.M., Environmental Management, Duke University Nicholas School of the Environment, Durham, NC & Duke University Marine Lab, Beaufort, NC, August 2016 - May 2018. Master's Project: The use of autonomous terrestrial rovers for high resolution light pollution sampling in beach environments. Advisor: Dr. David Johnston

    B.S., Environmental Science. Washington College, Chestertown, MD, August 2012 - May 2016.

    Selected training courses:

    • NASA Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) training course. UMBC, MD. August 2022.
    • International Ocean Color Coordinating Group (IOCCG) Summer Lecture Series. Laboratoire d’Océanographie de Villefranche (LOV), Institut de la Mer, de Villefranche, France. July 2022.
    • NASA sponsored Workshop on Calibration and Validation of Ocean Color Remote Sensing. Bowdoin College, Schiller Coastal Studies Center (SCSC), Orr’s Island, Maine. June - August 2021
    • Cornell Satellite Remote Sensing Training Program. Cornell University, Ithaca, NY. June 2019.

    Professional Societies

    The Oceanography Society (TOS), 2020 - Present
    American Geophysical Union (AGU), 2019 - Present
    Society for Women in Marine Science (SWMS), 2018 - Present

    Awards

    • University of Maryland Ann G. Wylie Dissertation Fellowship ($15,000)- 2022
    • University of Maryland Outstanding Graduate Student Distinguished Service Award- 2021
    • UMD MEES Debbie Morrin-Nordlund Memorial Award ($2,500)- 2021 
    • American Association of University Women Easton Branch Scholarship ($1,000)- 2021
    • Mid-Shore Chapter of the Izaak Walton League of America Scholarship ($2,000)- 2021
    • Horn Point Lab Ryan Saba Memorial Student Fellowship ($2,000)- 2021
    • Horn Point Graduate Assistantship- 2018

    Grants

    01/01/2021 Exploration and Field Research ($1,500), Explorer's Club Washington Group
    02/01/2020 Graduate Research Support Grant ($10,000), Maryland Sea Grant
    09/01/2019 Environmental Education Mini Grant ($5,000), Chesapeake Bay Trust
    10/01/2017 Graduate Research Fellowship ($10,000), North Carolina Sea Grant/ Space Grant

    Publications

    Refereed

    Windle, A. E., L. W. Staver, A. J. Elmore, et al. S. Scherer, S. Keller, B. Malmgren, and G. M. Silsbe. 2023. "Multi-temporal high-resolution marsh vegetation mapping using unoccupied aircraft system remote sensing and machine learning." Frontiers in Remote Sensing, 4: [10.3389/frsen.2023.1140999]

    Gray, P. C., A. E. Windle, J. Dale, et al. I. B. Savelyev, Z. I. Johnson, G. M. Silsbe, G. D. Larsen, and D. W. Johnston. 2022. "Robust ocean color from drones: Viewing geometry, sky reflection removal, uncertainty analysis, and a survey of the Gulf Stream front." Limnology and Oceanography: Methods, 20 (10): 656-673 [10.1002/lom3.10511]

    Windle, A. E., B. Puckett, K. B. Huebert, et al. Z. Knorek, D. W. Johnston, and J. T. Ridge. 2022. "Estimation of Intertidal Oyster Reef Density Using Spectral and Structural Characteristics Derived from Unoccupied Aircraft Systems and Structure from Motion Photogrammetry." Remote Sensing, 14 (9): 2163 [10.3390/rs14092163]

    Windle, A. E., H. Evers-King, B. R. Loveday, M. Ondrusek, and G. M. Silsbe. 2022. "Evaluating Atmospheric Correction Algorithms Applied to OLCI Sentinel-3 Data of Chesapeake Bay Waters." Remote Sensing, 14 (8): 1881 [10.3390/rs14081881]

    Windle, A. E., and G. M. Silsbe. 2021. "Evaluation of Unoccupied Aircraft System (UAS) Remote Sensing Reflectance Retrievals for Water Quality Monitoring in Coastal Waters." Frontiers in Environmental Science, 9: [10.3389/fenvs.2021.674247]

    Ridge, J. T., P. C. Gray, A. E. Windle, and D. W. Johnston. 2020. "Deep learning for coastal resource conservation: automating detection of shellfish reefs." Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation, 6 (4): 431-440 [10.1002/rse2.134]

    Windle, A., S. Poulin, D. Johnston, and J. Ridge. 2019. "Rapid and Accurate Monitoring of Intertidal Oyster Reef Habitat Using Unoccupied Aircraft Systems and Structure from Motion." Remote Sensing, 11 (20): 2394 [10.3390/rs11202394]

    Windle, A. E., D. S. Hooley, and D. W. Johnston. 2018. "Robotic Vehicles Enable High-Resolution Light Pollution Sampling of Sea Turtle Nesting Beaches." Frontiers in Marine Science, 5: [10.3389/fmars.2018.00493]

    Talks, Presentations and Posters

    Optical water type classification of Chesapeake Bay

     2022

    Oral presentation at the Chesapeake Community Research Symposium, Annapolis, MD.

    Evaluation of unoccupied aircraft system (UAS) remote sensing reflectance retrievals for water quality monitoring in coastal waters

     2022

    Oral presentation at the virtual Ocean Sciences Meeting


    Structure from Motion photogrammetry: A remote, rapid, and nondestructive method for oyster reef monitoring

     2021

    Oral presentation at the virtual 26th biennial Coastal, Estuarine, Research Federation conference

    Atmospheric correction algorithms portray differences in optical properties of Chesapeake Bay waters

     2020

    Poster presented at Ocean Sciences Meeting, San Diego, CA.

    Brief Bio

    Dr. Anna Windle is an early career scientist, working as a Post-Doctoral Fellow in support of the NASA Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, and ocean Ecosystem (PACE) satellite mission. She received her Ph.D. in Marine, Estuarine, Environmental Sciences at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES) at Horn Point Lab in Cambridge, MD in 2023. Her dissertation focused on incorporating in situ, unoccupied aircraft systems (UAS, drones) and earth observing satellites to enhance environmental remote sensing in Chesapeake Bay. She has expertise in satellite and UAS remote sensing, ocean color, and optical oceanography.

    She received a Master's of Environmental Management (M.E.M.) from Duke University in 2018 and a B.S. in Environmental Sciences from Washington College in 2016.

    Anna is passionate about education and outreach and has worked with K-12 teachers to develop environmental education lesson plans and has run drone mapping workshops for local students.

    Publications

    Refereed

    Windle, A. E., L. W. Staver, A. J. Elmore, et al. S. Scherer, S. Keller, B. Malmgren, and G. M. Silsbe. 2023. "Multi-temporal high-resolution marsh vegetation mapping using unoccupied aircraft system remote sensing and machine learning." Frontiers in Remote Sensing 4 [10.3389/frsen.2023.1140999]

    Gray, P. C., A. E. Windle, J. Dale, et al. I. B. Savelyev, Z. I. Johnson, G. M. Silsbe, G. D. Larsen, and D. W. Johnston. 2022. "Robust ocean color from drones: Viewing geometry, sky reflection removal, uncertainty analysis, and a survey of the Gulf Stream front." Limnology and Oceanography: Methods 20 (10): 656-673 [10.1002/lom3.10511]

    Windle, A. E., B. Puckett, K. B. Huebert, et al. Z. Knorek, D. W. Johnston, and J. T. Ridge. 2022. "Estimation of Intertidal Oyster Reef Density Using Spectral and Structural Characteristics Derived from Unoccupied Aircraft Systems and Structure from Motion Photogrammetry." Remote Sensing 14 (9): 2163 [10.3390/rs14092163]

    Windle, A. E., H. Evers-King, B. R. Loveday, M. Ondrusek, and G. M. Silsbe. 2022. "Evaluating Atmospheric Correction Algorithms Applied to OLCI Sentinel-3 Data of Chesapeake Bay Waters." Remote Sensing 14 (8): 1881 [10.3390/rs14081881]

    Windle, A. E., and G. M. Silsbe. 2021. "Evaluation of Unoccupied Aircraft System (UAS) Remote Sensing Reflectance Retrievals for Water Quality Monitoring in Coastal Waters." Frontiers in Environmental Science 9 [10.3389/fenvs.2021.674247]

    Ridge, J. T., P. C. Gray, A. E. Windle, and D. W. Johnston. 2020. "Deep learning for coastal resource conservation: automating detection of shellfish reefs." Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation 6 (4): 431-440 [10.1002/rse2.134]

    Windle, A., S. Poulin, D. Johnston, and J. Ridge. 2019. "Rapid and Accurate Monitoring of Intertidal Oyster Reef Habitat Using Unoccupied Aircraft Systems and Structure from Motion." Remote Sensing 11 (20): 2394 [10.3390/rs11202394]

    Windle, A. E., D. S. Hooley, and D. W. Johnston. 2018. "Robotic Vehicles Enable High-Resolution Light Pollution Sampling of Sea Turtle Nesting Beaches." Frontiers in Marine Science 5 [10.3389/fmars.2018.00493]

                                                                                                                                                                                            
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    • Last Updated: 09/25/2023