Africa Flores-Anderson

PhD Candidate (Department of Natural Resource Sciences)

Research Interests: Land Use Land Cover Change (LCLUC), remote sensing, synthetic aperture radar (SAR), water quality, hyper spectral, forest monitoring, time series analysis, AI

Tropical forests display very dynamic rates of change due to human intervention, with a trend towards forest loss in the tropics. In the last decade technological advances have allowed scientists to map historical forest cover change globally using archives of satellite data. However, decision makers need national level estimations and understanding of more subtle forest disturbances to take appropriate measures to protect their forests. My research interest lies in the use of Earth observations from passive and active sensors to provide useful and timely information that will enable decision makers to enhance the management of their forest and water resources. I also work in monitoring and forecasting algae blooms in fresh-water bodies using satellite data and machine learning. I’m originally from Guatemala and hold a Bachelor’s Degree in Agricultural Engineering with focus in Natural Renewable Resources from Universidad de San Carlos in Guatemala, and a MSc in Earth System Science from the University of Alabama in Huntsville.