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Scott J. Goetz is an American environmental scientist and Regents Professor at Northern Arizona University (NAU) in the School of Informatics, Computing and Cyber Systems.^[1][2] He is a specialist in satellite remote sensing for environmental science applications, with research focused on arctic tundra and global forest ecosystems, climate and carbon cycle science, terrestrial ecology, and biodiversity.^[3] He serves as Science Lead of NASA's Arctic-Boreal Vulnerability Experiment (ABoVE) and Deputy Principal Investigator for Science of NASA's Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI), a lidar instrument aboard the International Space Station.^[1]

Early life and education

Goetz received a Bachelor of Science degree with honors from Pennsylvania State University in 1982, with an emphasis in remote sensing and digital mapping.^{[citation needed]} In 1987, he earned a Master of Science degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara, with a thesis on predictive mapping of coast live oak woodlands using satellite and terrain data.^{[citation needed]} He completed his Doctor of Philosophy degree at the University of Maryland, College Park in 1996, with a dissertation on the modeling of carbon fluxes, net primary production, and light utilization in boreal forests.^{[citation needed]}

Career

Goetz began his career as a research scientist in the Biospheric Sciences Branch at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, where he worked from 1985 to 1996.^[1][4] He subsequently joined the University of Maryland, College Park as a Research Professor, and has held an Adjunct Professor position there since 2003.^[1]

From 2003 to 2016, Goetz was a Senior Scientist at the Woods Hole Research Center (now Woodwell Climate Research Center) in Falmouth, Massachusetts, serving as Deputy Director from 2011 to 2016.^[5] He joined Northern Arizona University in 2016 as a Professor in the School of Informatics, Computing and Cyber Systems, and was subsequently named Regents Professor, the university's highest faculty distinction. He is associated with NAU's Radiant Center for Remote Sensing.^[6]

Recognition

In 2023, Goetz was elected a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union, in recognition of his contributions to advancing understanding of changes in the global terrestrial biosphere using remote sensing observations.^[2][13]

His research on arctic and boreal ecosystem change has been covered by news outlets including NBC News, Science News, and ScienceDaily.^[14][9][10]

Selected publications

• Goetz, S. J.; Bunn, A. G.; Fiske, G.; Houghton, R. A. (2005). "Satellite observed photosynthetic trends across boreal North America associated with climate and fire disturbance". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 102 (38): 13521–13525. doi:10.1073/pnas.0506179102
• Goetz, S. J.; Dubayah, R. O. (2011). "Advances in remote sensing technology and implications for monitoring, reporting and verifying forest carbon stocks and emissions". Carbon Management. 2 (3): 231–244. doi:10.4155/cmt.11.18
• Goetz, S. J.; Hansen, M.; Houghton, R. A.; Walker, W.; Laporte, N.; Busch, J. (2015). "Measurement and monitoring needs, capabilities and potential for addressing reduced emissions from deforestation and forest degradation under REDD+". Environmental Research Letters. 10 (12): 123001. doi:10.1088/1748-9326/10/12/123001

References

External links

• NASA Arctic-Boreal Vulnerability Experiment