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Hydrospheric and Biospheric Sciences Laboratory (614)

Hydrospheric and Biospheric Sciences Laboratory (614)

Profile for Robert Knox

Title: Forest Ecologist
Affiliation: NASA
Contact: E-mail
Office Phone: 301-614-6656
Fax: 301-614-6695

Profile

RESEARCH AREA EXPERIENCE

Forest Dynamics and Community Structure, Ecological Modeling, Statistical Ecology, Temperate and Boreal Forest Ecology, Software Engineering for simulation..


PREVIOUS POSITIONS

1991 - 1992, Research Scientist, Universities Space Research Association
1990 - 1991, Senior Research Associate, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Dept., Rice Univ.
1987 - 1990, Huxley Fellow (Research Instructor), Biology Department, Rice Univ.
1978 - 1982, Computer Programmer, Department of Epidemiology, Univ. of Texas System, Cancer Center


EDUCATION

1978 - A.B. Biology, with emphasis in Population Biology, awarded Magna cum laude, Princeton Univ.
1987 - Ph.D. Botany, with emphasis in Plant Ecology , Univ. of North Carolina


PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES

  • American Society of Naturalists

  • Association of Southeastern Biologists

  • Ecological Society of America

  • International Association for Vegetation Science

  • Sigma Xi

  • Torrey Botanical Society



FELLOWSHIPS

1982 - 1983 - Pogue Fellow, Univ. of North Carolina
1983 - 1986 - NSF Graduate Fellow
1987 - Coker Fellow, Univ. of North Carolina


PROFESSIONAL SERVICE

1983-pres. - Referee: American Naturalist, Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club, Ecological Monographs, Ecology, International Journal of Geographical Information Systems, Journal of Vegetation Science, Oecologia, Vegetatio.

1989 - Co-coordinator, Between Biology and Philosophy: on the foundations and philosophical implications of biology, a Mellon summer workshop for college teachers. Houston, TX.

Selected Publications

2003

Drake, J. B., R. G. Knox, R. O. Dubayah, D. B. Clark, R. Condit, J. B. Blair, and M. Hofton, "Above-ground biomass estimation in closed canopy Neotropical forests using lidar remote sensing: factors affecting the generality of relationships", Global Ecology and Biogeography, 12 (2): 147-159, 2003.


2002

Drake, J. B., R. O. Dubayah, D. B. Clark, R. G. Knox, J. B. Blair, M. A. Hofton, R. L. Chazdon, J. F. Weishampel, and S. D. Prince, "Estimation of tropical forest structural characteristics using large footprint lidar", Remote Sensing of Environment, 79:305-319, 2002.

Drake, J. B., R. O. Dubayah, R. G. Knox, D. B. Clark, and J. B. Blair, "Sensitivity of large-footprint lidar to canopy structure and biomass in a neotropical rainforest", Remote Sensing of Environment, 81:378-392, 2002.


2001

Ranson, K.J., G. Sun, R. G. Knox, E. R. Levine, J. F. Weishampel, and S.T. Fifer "Northern Forest Ecosystem Dynamics Using Coupled Models and Remote Sensing", Remote Sensing of Environment, 75, 291-302.


2000

"Volumetric lidar return patterns from an old-growth tropical rainforest canopy", Weishampel JF, Blair JB, Knox RG, Dubayah R, Clark D, International Journal of Remote Sensing, 21: (2) 409-415.


1999

"Soil saturation effects on forest dynamics: scaling across a southern boreal/northern hardwood landscape", Weishampel JF, Knox RG, Levine ER, Landscape Ecology, 14:121-135.


1997

"Modeling soil temperature and snow dynamics in northern forests", Levine ER, Knox RG, Journal of Geophysical Research-Atmospheres, 102: (D24) 29407-29416.

"Effects of prescribed fire on the composition of woody plant communities in southeastern Texas", Liu CX, Harcombe PA, Knox RG, Journal of Vegetation Science, 8: (4) 495-504.

"A problem-solving workbench for interactive simulation of ecosystems", Knox RG, Kalb VL, Levine ER, Kendig DJ, IEEE Computational Science and Engineering, 4: (3) 52-60.

"A process-based, terrestrial biosphere model of ecosystem dynamics (Hybrid v3.0)", Friend AD, Stevens AK, Knox RG, Cannell MGR, Ecological Modeling, 95: (2-3) 249-287.


1995

"Contrasting patterns of resource limitation in tree seedlings across a gradient in soil texture", Knox RG, P.A. Harcombe, and I. S. Elsik, Candian Journal of Forest Research, 25: 1583-1594.


1994

"Relationships between soil properties and vegetation at the northern experimental forest, Howland, Maine", Levine, E.R., R.G. Knox, and W.T. Lawrence, Remote Sensing of Environment, 47:231-241.


1993

"Forest ecosystem dynamics: linking forest succession, soil process and radiation models", Levine, E.R., K.J. Ranson, J.A. Smith, D.L. Williams, R.G. Knox, H.H. Shugart, D.L. Urban, and W.T. Lawrence, Ecological Modeling, 65:199-219.


1989

"Population dynamics in loblolly pine stands: changes in skewness and size inequality", Knox R.G., R.K. Peet, and N.L. Christensen, Ecology, 70:1153-1166.

"Bootstrapped ordination: a method for estimating sampling effects in indirect gradient analysis", Knox RG and R.K. Peet, Vegetation, 80:153-165.

"Effects of detrending and rescaling on correspondence analysis: solution stability and accuracy", Knox RG, Vegetation, 83:129-136.

Conference Proceedings

2004

Middleton EM, Drolet G, Huemmrich KF, Hall FG, Knox RG, Black A, Barr A, Lyapustin AI, Gervin JC, and Margolis H, "Direct satellite inference of ecosystem light use efficiency for carbon exchange using MODIS on terra and aqua", IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium, Anchorage, AK, SEP 20-24, 2004, IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium Meetings, VOLS 1-7 - Science for Society: Exploring and Managing a Changing Planet: 2038-2041, 2004.

Rall JAR and Knox RG, "Spectral ratio biospheric lidar", IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium Anchorage, AK, SEP 20-24, IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium Meetings, VOLS 1-7 - Science for Society: Exploring and Managing a Changing Planet: 1951-1954, 2004.


2002

McClain, C. F., F. G. Hall, G. J. Collatz, S. R. Kawa, W. W. Gregg, J. C. Gervin, J. B. Abshire, A. E. Andrews, C. D. Barnet, M. J. Behrenfeld, P. S. Caruso, A. M. Chekalyuk, L. D. Demaio, A. S. Denning, J. E. Hansen, F. E. Hoge, R. G. Knox, J. G. Masek, K. D. Mitchell, J. R. Moisan, T. A. Moisan, S. Pawson, M. M. Rienecker, S. R. Signorini, C. J. Tucker, "Science and Observation Recommendations for Future NASA Carbon Cycle Research", National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, NASA/TM -2002 -210009, 2002.

NASA Technical Documents

2002

McClain, C. F., F. G. Hall, G. J. Collatz, S. R. Kawa, W. W. Gregg, J. C. Gervin, J. B. Abshire, A. E. Andrews, C. D. Barnet, M. J. Behrenfeld, P. S. Caruso, A. M. Chekalyuk, L. D. Demaio, A. S. Denning, J. E. Hansen, F. E. Hoge, R. G. Knox, J. G. Masek, K. D. Mitchell, J. R. Moisan, T. A. Moisan, S. Pawson, M. M. Rienecker, S. R. Signorini, C. J. Tucker, "Science and Observation Recommendations for Future NASA Carbon Cycle Research", National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, NASA/TM -2002 -210009, 2002.

Selected Publications

Steyaert, L., and R. Knox (2008). Reconstructed historical land cover and biophysical parameters for studies of land-atmosphere interactions within the eastern United States. J. Geophys. Res., 113(D02101), 27 pp
10.1029/2006JD008277

Anderson, J., ME Martin, M. Smith, RO Dubayah, MA Hofton, P Hyde, BE Peterson, JB Blair, and R. Knox (2006). The use of waveform lidar to measure northern temperate mixed conifer and deciduous forest structure in New Hampshire. Remote Sensing of Environment, 105(3), 248-261

Esper, J., J. Gervin, F. Kirchman, E.M. Middleton, R. Knox, W. Gregg, A. Mannino, C.R. McClain, J. Herman, and F.G. Hall (2005). Low/medium density biomass, coastal and ocean carbon: a carbon cycle mission. Acta Astro., 56, 25-34

Hyde, P., R. Dubayah, B. Peterson, J.B. Blair, M. Hofton, C. Hunsaker, R. Knox, and W. Walker (2005). Mapping forest structure for wildlife habitat analysis using waveform lidar: Validation of montane ecosystems. Remote Sensing of Environment, 96(3-4), 427-437

Goddard Signature