Today in Geography - Remembering the failed launch of the first Orbiting Carbon Observatory with Kyla Dahlin

Today we welcomed Kyla Dahlin an associate professor in the ⁠Department of Geography, Environment, and Spatial Sciences at Michigan State University. Dr. Dahlin is also a member of AgBio Research, the Department of Plant Biology, the Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior (EEB) program, and the Environmental Science and Policy Program (ESPP) at MSU. Dr. Dahlin’s research aims to better understand and quantify ecosystem processes and disturbance responses through the application of emerging technologies, including air- and space-borne remote sensing, spatial statistics, and process-based modeling. She is currently interested in semi-arid forest/grassland transition zones, where vegetation patterns are readily observable but poorly understood. Dr. Dahlin approaches questions by integrating observational data, modeling, and focused field experiments to both refine our understanding of ecosystem function and to improve our ability to predict how ecosystems and the climate will change in the future.

Dr. Dahlin discussed her research as well as the failed launch on February 24, 2009, of the first Orbiting Carbon Observatory. 

If you would like to learn more about Dr. Dahlin’s research, please visit the Ecological Remote Sensing and Modeling Lab at ersamlab.com. To learn more about the work of the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON), check out the NEON Science YouTube channel. If you’d like to get involved with some fun and interesting citizen science efforts, download iNaturalist and Seek.