Stephen R. Yool

Associate Professor Geography & Regional Development

Ph.D. 1985, Geography, University of California, Santa Barbara
M.P.A. 1973, California State University, Hayward
B.S. 1969, Management & Biology, California State University, Hayward

Phone: (520) 621.8549
FAX: (520) 621.2889
E-mail: yools@email.arizona.edu

435c Harvill Building, Box #2
Tucson, AZ 85721-0076
USA

2006 Arizona - Nevada Academy of Science Meeting: Change Detection Using Merged Spatial & Spectral Data Over Istanbul, Turkey (compressed PowerPoint presentation)

Curriculum Vitae

Research

My long-term projects will continue to focus on biophysical/ bioenvironmental geography and disturbance, particularly fire and disease. I intend to incorporate remote sensing and spatial information systems to understand processes producing natural spatial patterns, and the effects of disturbance on these processes and patterns. This work involves biophysical characterization of status and change in vegetation systems, using passive and active remote sensors, spatial statistics and simulation modeling, and examines the basis for and geographic implications of changes in these systems. I pursue exotic algorithm development, including forced spectral invariance strategies for resolving latent spectra produced by surface features. The information systems portion of my research involves, over the long term, information integration and modeling. This includes use of spatial statistics to examine the scale-dependence of natural phenomena, resolution of scale disparities, and characterization of errors in spatial databases. I intend to expand the fire research into global biogeochemistry. I will develop major research projects that exploit remote sensing applications of earth system science. Beyond development of geospatial information technologies that advance pyrogeography, I intend to expand pyrogeography into more theoretical areas, examining whether earth systems in 'deep' time (i.e., paleohistorically) were more or less resilient to natural fire disturbances, and whether potential changes in climate will affect in fundamental ways the basic source-sink feedback mechanisms that mediate the biogeography of earth's vegetation. I will add also more applications work in the area of geospatial decision support, including remote sensing applications that exploit urban-environmental interactions.

Project Involvement

• DoD: GIS Development and Support for Fort Huachuca
• EPA: Climatic and Human Contributions to Southwest Fire Regimes
• EPA: Characterizing Fire Regimes in Conifer Forest using Optical and Microwave Remote Sensing
• NASA: Earth System Science Training Grant
• NASA: Southwest Earth Science Applications Center
• UA:Connecting Human and Natural Geographic Environments (CHANGE)
• UA:The University of Arizona GIS Minor Websource
• U.S. Forest Service: Southwest Postfire Regeneration