Sponsor: Metropolitan LA/Coastal LA Section Chapter,GRS29
Speaker: Dr. Kelly Luis

Date: 17 Jun 2025
Time: 05:30 PM PDT to 07:30 PM PDT
Cost:
Location: Pasadena, California
Reservations: IEEE
Summary:
Aquatic ecosystems are complex, dynamic interfaces shaped by interactions between land, water, and the atmosphere. Yet, they remain challenging to monitor consistently across spatial and temporal scales. NASA’s EMIT (Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation) and ECOSTRESS (ECOsystem Spaceborne Thermal Radiometer Experiment on Space Station) missions offer new capabilities for observing these environments. EMIT’s imaging spectroscopy provides surface reflectance measurements that can support assessments of water quality, and intertidal and benthic habitat composition. ECOSTRESS complements this with thermal observations that help identify thermal gradients, urban runoff patterns, and hydrologic connectivity. This talk highlights how the integration of EMIT and ECOSTRESS data is expanding our toolkit for aquatic ecosystem monitoring, with applications ranging from early detection of water quality changes to improved understanding of ecosystem function and resilience. Case examples will illustrate how these missions are helping connect space-based observations to local decision-making.
Bio: Dr. Kelly Luis is an aquatic ecosystem scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), where she advances the use of satellite and airborne remote sensing to monitor water quality and aquatic habitat dynamics. She serves as the aquatic algorithm lead for the Surface Biology and Geology (SBG) mission’s Visible to Shortwave Infrared (VSWIR) instrument and as the Aquatic Applications Lead for the Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation (EMIT) mission. In addition, Kelly serves as an Associate Program Manager for NASA’s Water Resources Program, where she leads coordination of agency-wide efforts focused on water quality applications.