Dr. Sousa obtained his BSc. degree in Forest Engineering in 2011. During his undergraduate studies, he worked as an analyst on a governmental project for mapping the native flora and reforested areas of Minas Gerais state in Brazil. This experience was the stepping stone to his MSc. in Forest Engineering and Management with emphasis in Remote Sensing of Forest Resources, obtained in 2013. During his MSc, he joined Dr. Olaf Niemann's research group at University of Victoria (UVic), British Columbia in 2012/2013 as a visiting researcher. In 2013, Dr. Sousa was admitted into the Forest Ecosystems & Society doctoral program at Oregon State University. During his Ph.D, he worked with stress related changes in the light use efficiency of the Amazonian rainforests using space-borne multi-angle remote sensing data.
Celio Helder Resende De Sousa
(Associate Research Scientist)
| Email: | celio.h.resendedesousa@nasa.gov |
| Phone: | 301.614.6660 |
| Org Code: | 618 |
| Address: |
NASA/GSFC Mail Code 618 Greenbelt, MD 20771 |
| Employer: | UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND BALTIMORE CO |
Brief Bio
Research Interests
Land cover-land use
Earth Science: Remote SensingDr. Celio Sousa' research focus on using cloud-computing and multi-temporal/ multi-sensor data for characterizing and quantifying land cover extent and change in tropical regions and its biophysical and socioeconomic impacts.
Current Projects
Mapping Ecosystem Extent for the Gaborone Declaration for Sustainability in Africa
Land Cover/Use
In partnership with Conservation International, Dr. Sousa is providing decision support tools for African countries who have committed themselves to incorporating ecosystem service accounting into national decision making through the Gaborone Declaration for Sustainability in Africa. Along with Conservation International, Dr. Sousa's goal is to developed repeatable methodologies to map ecosystem extent, meet international standards for ecosystem accounting, and satisfy the requirements of a broad range of nation specific decision support needs.
Earth Observation-based restoration and monitoring in Coastal and Forested Protected Areas of West Africa
Remote Sensing
In this project, we leverage our expertise in remote sensing (RS) of mangrove and tropical forest ecosystems to develop Earth Observation (EO) tools that support the management, protection, and establishment of Protected Areas (PAs) in West Africa. Collaborating with several end-user organizations, we co-design EO applications, datasets, and tools tailored to their needs. Our work involves creating operational monitoring frameworks, producing maps of forest and wetland changes, identifying restorable areas, and estimating carbon metrics. By integrating EO-based information into conservation efforts, this project aims to enhance climate change mitigation and adaptation, facilitate access to carbon finance, and ensure the long-term effectiveness of conservation initiatives using NASA data.
Positions/Employment
Assistant Researcher
University of Maryland - Baltimore County - NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
November 2021 - Present
Associate Researcher
Universities Space Research Association - NASA Goddard Space Flight Center - Greenbelt, MD 20771
October 2020 - November 2021
Visiting Researcher I
University Space Research Association - NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD 20771
November 2018 - October 2020
Dr. Sousa is currently supported through the NASA Earth Science Division’s Partnerships Program which seeks to build commercial and NGO relationships that amplify our understanding of the Earth as an integrated system and enable societal benefits.
Education
- BSc in Forest Engineering - 2011 [Universidade Federal de Lavras (Federal University of Lavras – Brazil)]
Thesis: Analise do Comportamento Espectral de Areas em Regeneracao Natural no Bioma Cerrado [Analysis of the Spectral Behavior of Areas under Natural Regeneration in the Cerrado Biome, Brazil]
- MSc in Forest Engineering - 2013 [Universidade Federal de Lavras/ University of Victoria, BC (Federal University of Lavras – University of Victoria, BC)]
Thesis: Evaluating Segmentation and Classification Approaches using RapidEye Data for Vegetation Mapping in Minas Gerais, Brazil
- PhD in Forest Ecosystems & Society - 2017 [Oregon State University]
Dissertation: Remote Sensing of Photosynthetic Light-Use Efficiency of Amazonian Rainforests
Teaching Experience
- Teaching Assistant - 'Dendrology' - Federal University of Lavras, 2008
- Teaching Assistant - ‘Forest Photogrammetry and Introduction into Remote Sensing’ - Oregon State University, 2015
- Teaching Assistant - ‘Forest Photogrammetry and Introduction into Remote Sensing’ - Oregon State University, 2016
- Teaching Assistant - ‘Forest Biology' - Oregon State University, 2017
Professional Service
FINESST Earth Science Carbon Cycle and Ecosystem (CC&E) Panel Review May 2-3, 2019.
Awards
- 2019 NASA Headquarters Honor Award in Earth Science Partnerships Award
- Science Without Borders [Ministry of Education - CAPES/Brazil] - 2013
- Emerging Leaders in the Americas Program – ELAP [Government of Canada] - 2012
Grants
Earth Observation-based restoration and monitoring in Coastal and Forested Protected Areas of West Africa
Earth Science Applications: Ecological Conservation - NASA (NNH22ZDA001N-ECON:A.40) - Awarded: 2023-04-15
Dates: -
Coverage: 0.4
Publications
Refereed
2023. "Two decades of land cover change and forest fragmentation in Liberia: Consequences for the contribution of nature to people." Conservation Science and Practice [10.1111/csp2.12933] [Journal Article/Letter]
2022. "A review of carbon monitoring in wet carbon systems using remote sensing." Environmental Research Letters 17 (2): 025009 [10.1088/1748-9326/ac4d4d] [Journal Article/Letter]
2020. "Cloud-computing and machine learning in support of country-level land cover and ecosystem extent mapping in Liberia and Gabon." PLOS ONE 15 (1): e0227438 [10.1371/journal.pone.0227438] [Journal Article/Letter]
2017. "Progress in Remote Sensing of Photosynthetic Activity over the Amazon Basin." Remote Sensing 9 (1): 48 [10.3390/rs9010048] [Journal Article/Letter]
2015. "Seasonality and drought effects of Amazonian forests observed from multi-angle satellite data." Remote Sensing of Environment 171 278-290 [10.1016/j.rse.2015.10.015] [Journal Article/Letter]