The Biosphere Sciences Division (code SGE) at NASA’s Ames Research Center focuses on the study of Earth’s terrestrial and marine biospheres. In particular, how these ecosystems interact with the atmosphere and how these interactions change over time. Their research supports global efforts to use remote sensing and modeling tools to monitor and understand the carbon cycle, land cover and land use change, wildfires, air quality, and ecosystem dynamics.
The division specializes in using remote sensing technology, instruments mounted on satellites and aircraft, to observe, measure, and model key environmental variables such as vegetation health, land cover, carbon flux, atmospheric composition, and productivity of terrestrial and marine ecosystems. Their research supports NASA’s broader Earth science goals by providing insights into how ecosystems are changing and what those changes mean for life on Earth.
Team introduction About the Department of Biosphere Science
branch chief
Matthew Johnson
NASA Ames Biosphere Science Division
Team introduction
The Biosphere Sciences Division at NASA Ames Research Center conducts research to better understand Earth’s ecosystems, focusing on carbon dynamics, land use change, the effects of climate change, and bidirectional interactions with the atmosphere. The division supports NASA’s Earth science mission to monitor and predict changes in the biosphere and atmosphere using satellite remote sensing, airborne instruments, and modeling systems.
Satellite mission:
The Biosphere Sciences Division contributes to several NASA satellite missions aimed at better understanding Earth’s terrestrial and oceanic biospheres and atmosphere.
tempo
Tropospheric emissions: monitoring pollution (TEMPO)
Researchers in the biosphere science field (Matthew Johnson, Claudia Bernier, and Arthur Mizzi) are leading the application and validation of NASA’s TEMPO satellite ozone profile product.
OCO-2 and OCO-3
Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 and -3 (OCO-2 and OCO-3, respectively)
Researcher Matthew Johnson in the Biosphere Sciences Division plays a key role on the OCO-2/3 flux science team by assimilating this NASA data into Ames CO to provide global/regional flux results.2 model.
aura
aura science team
Matthew Johnson and Jia Jung, researchers in the Biosphere Sciences Division, are members of the science team for NASA’s Aura satellite mission. They are conducting important application and validation studies of products recovered from this spaceborne sensor.
SMAP
Project title: Assimilation of SMAP global freeze-thaw (FT) products to improve CASA ecosystem models and understanding of northern latitude carbon fluxes and wildfire impacts.
The primary objective of Chris Potter’s work as a member of the SWAT science team is to assimilate SMAP observations of daily soil freeze-thaw (FT) conditions into CASA (Carnegie Ames Stanford) ecosystem models to reduce uncertainties in global and regional carbon flux estimates and wildfire emissions. The “beta” version of the new CASA model will be constrained by the SMAP FT inputs. Therefore, current empirical approaches based on monthly degree days (of growth and freezing) are overwritten by collective observations of the time during which soils thaw (compared to freeze).
SWOT
Surface water ocean topography satellite
As PI of the TROPIC-SWOT project and a member of the SWOT science team, Dan Hoyt and his team are using new high-resolution sea level observations from SWOT in the tropical and equatorial oceans to quantify ocean surface currents and understand their physics. This basic research is expected to lead to improved detailed scale predictions of ocean drift in the tropics, such as debris, spilled oil, and shipwrecked ships, as well as improved seasonal and long-term predictions of weather, climate, and water cycles (floods, droughts, etc.) through better modeling of El Niño/Southern Oscillation dynamics that are sensitively dependent on upper ocean physics in the equatorial Pacific.
bioscape
Researchers from the Biosphere Sciences Division (Liane Guild, Juan Torres-Perez, and Samantha Sharp) contributed to this suborbital mission by collecting optical and water samples concurrently with the 2024 BioSCape hyperspectral airborne campaign in South Africa.
AirSHARP
Scientists in the Biosphere Sciences Division (Leanne Guild, Kristen Pistone) have developed a combined airborne sensor approach to verify ocean color and aerosol products from NASA’s PACE (Plankton, Aerosols, Clouds, and Marine Ecosystems) satellite with airborne radiometers and solar photometers. Flights of ARC instruments in ship-based instrumented waters and under PACE overpasses allow the use of validated products to study phytoplankton populations and contributions to phytoplankton growth, including harmful algal blooms and aerosols.
fire sense
Clayton Elder, a biosphere science researcher, is part of the FireSense implementation team for the AVIRIS-3 real-time spectroscopy product project. Elder will gather stakeholder input on high-level products relevant to fires in the wildland urban interface and work with the AVIRIS-3 operations team to manufacture and deliver those products in time-critical response scenarios.
Gedi
Taejin Park, a researcher in the Department of Biosphere Sciences, is working to integrate GEDI-derived 3D vegetation structure with Landsat and Sentinel satellite observations to enhance monitoring of large-scale landscape and habitat dynamics, characterize fuel distribution, and quantify key carbon cycle processes. Park also works closely with stakeholders to co-develop GEDI-derived data products useful for real-world applications.
oceanos
OCEANOS is a NASA Science Activation Project designed to engage students in STEM fields, specifically oceanography and marine biology. The project focuses on in-person training opportunities and hands-on activities, including the use of NASA Earth Observations for coastal marine ecosystem and water quality assessments, the introduction of robotics into ocean surveys, and the characterization of phytoplankton communities.
pangea
Researchers from the Biosphere Sciences Division (Matthew Johnson, Leanne Guild) are contributing to this planned airborne mission as lead authors of selected proposals and white papers. Their scientific contributions helped advance the mission’s goal of focusing on wetland/aquatic methane fluxes in tropical ecosystems.
Planetary Boundary Layer (PBL) Pre-Phase A Research
Morgan Gilmore, a researcher in the Department of Biosphere Sciences, studies PBL using frigatebird flight behavior collected by telemetry tags (also known as biologgers). The team is also developing new biologgers to record in-situ observations of environmental parameters such as temperature, pressure, humidity, and wind to characterize PBL dynamics in remote marine environments. The expertise of the Biosphere Sciences Division is contributing to the PBL Pre-Phase A research by demonstrating how the soaring behavior of frigatebirds can measure the height of the PBL from the ground to 4,000 meters.
CyanoSCape
Scientists Liane Guild, Juan Torres Pérez, and Samantha Sharp from the Biosphere Sciences Division are measuring phytoplankton biodiversity in four inland freshwater bodies through a field campaign that collected optical and water samples concurrently with the 2024 BioSCape hyperspectral aerial campaign in South Africa.
Research scientist Morgan Gilmore anchors his boat on a sandbar, steps into shallow water, and is immediately surrounded by sharks.
Additional projects and programs
NASA Earth Exchange (NEX)
NASA Earth Exchange (NEX) combines state-of-the-art supercomputing, Earth system modeling, and NASA remote sensing data feeds to provide a working environment for exploring and analyzing terabyte to petabyte-scale datasets covering large regions, continents, or the entire planet.
develop
The DEVELOP project is managed by NASA ARC and coordinated by researchers in the Biosphere Sciences Division. DEVELOP participants work closely with scientific advisors in the Department of Earth Sciences to apply Earth observations to address real-world problems. This allows DEVELOP participants to build both research and scientific communication skills and prepare them for success in the workplace.
Arset
Biosphere Sciences Department employees Juan Torres Pérez, Justin Fain, and Sativa Cruz lead the Ecological Conservation Theme Area of the Applied Remote Sensing Training Program (ARSET). They provide online and in-person training on the use of NASA Earth observation and remote sensing technologies for a variety of terrestrial and aquatic applications, including land cover and land use change detection, vegetation and aquatic indices, coastal and marine ecosystem monitoring, and biodiversity management.
Disaster Response Coordination System (DRCS)
Ames is a participating center in NASA’s Disaster Response Coordination System (DRCS). These activities at Ames are co-led by the Biosphere and Atmospheric Sciences Division, with a dedicated coordinator in the Earth Sciences Division to proactively monitor disaster threats, network with emergency management agencies, and connect Ames Earth observation experts and emergency responders in disaster response situations.
Earth science digital twin
Biosphere Sciences Division researchers Matthew Johnson, Jia Jung, Justin Fain, Weile Wang, and Jessca McCarty are working with NASA’s Land Cover Land Use Change (LCLUC) science team to develop NASA Land Earth Science Digital Twins (L-ESDT). The goal of this digital twin model is to better understand how LCLUC impacts weather and climate.