Roberta Martin

About

Robin Martin is an associate professor of geography in the School of Ocean Futures and a faculty member in the Center for Global Discovery and Conservation Science. Her research aims to better understand and quantify patterns in biodiversity and ecosystem function through the application of emerging technologies, including aircraft- and space-borne remote sensing and statistical modeling. She is currently interested in tropical forests and coral reefs where patterns are difficult to observe and interpret due to their high diversity and inaccessibility. Her approach integrates field and laboratory measurements of functional traits of trees and corals with observational data to understand the evolutionary, phylogenetic, and environmental controls on plant and coral biochemistry and physiological functioning of forests and reefs to aid in conservation and management decisions. Her main objective for teaching is to help students experience the vast biological diversity of our Earth and give them the knowledge and real-world skills needed to help manage and conserve it. She offers courses that are online with intensive field components and place-based projects, supporting a diverse range of students from traditional university attendees to those incorporating academic degrees into working life schedules.

Research topics

• Geography
• Biology
• Ecology
• Environmental science
• Geology
• Political Science
• Remote sensing
• Computer Science
• Agroforestry
• Oceanography

Selected publications

• NASA's surface biology and geology designated observable: A perspective on surface imaging algorithms

  Remote Sensing of Environment · 2021 · 319 citations

  The 2017–2027 National Academies' Decadal Survey, Thriving on Our Changing Planet, recommended Surface Biology and Geology (SBG) as a “Designated Targeted Observable” (DO). The SBG DO is based on the need for capabilities to acquire global, high spatial resolution, visible to shortwave infrared (VSWIR; 380–2500 nm; ~30 m pixel resolution) hyperspectral (imaging spectroscopy) and multispectral midwave and thermal infrared (MWIR: 3–5 μm; TIR: 8–12 μm; ~60 m pixel resolution) measurements with sub-…

  PublisherDOI

• Taking the pulse of Earth's tropical forests using networks of highly distributed plots

  Biological Conservation · 2021 · 179 citations

  DOI

• Active restoration accelerates the carbon recovery of human-modified tropical forests

  Science · 2020 · 122 citations

  More than half of all tropical forests are degraded by human impacts, leaving them threatened with conversion to agricultural plantations and risking substantial biodiversity and carbon losses. Restoration could accelerate recovery of aboveground carbon density (ACD), but adoption of restoration is constrained by cost and uncertainties over effectiveness. We report a long-term comparison of ACD recovery rates between naturally regenerating and actively restored logged tropical forests. Restorati…

  DOI

• Beyond Refugia: New Insights on Quaternary Climate Variation and the Evolution of Biotic Diversity in Tropical South America

  Fascinating life sciences · 2020 · 70 citations

  PublisherDOI

• The effect of reef morphology on coral recruitment at multiple spatial scales

  Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · 2024-01-08 · 30 citations

  articleOpen access

  Coral reefs are in decline worldwide, making it increasingly important to promote coral recruitment in new or degraded habitat. Coral reef morphology—the structural form of reef substrate—affects many aspects of reef function, yet the effect of reef morphology on coral recruitment is not well understood. We used structure-from-motion photogrammetry and airborne remote sensing to measure reef morphology (rugosity, curvature, slope, and fractal dimension) across a broad continuum of spatial scales…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Gregory P. Asner

  University of Hawaii at Hilo

  219 shared

• David Knapp

  Applied Materials (United States)

  56 shared

• Nicholas R. Vaughn

  Arizona State University

  46 shared

• Sandra Dı́az

  41 shared

• Norma Salinas

  Pontifical Catholic University of Peru

  31 shared

• Christopher B. Anderson

  Planet Biotechnology (United States)

  28 shared

• Brian J. Enquist

  Santa Fe Institute

  27 shared

• Yadvinder Malhi

  26 shared

Education

• Ph.D., Biochemistry and Remote Sensing

  University of Colorado

  2003

• M.A., Rangeland Ecosystem Science

  Colorado State University

  1996

• B.A., Population and Organismic Biology

  University of Colorado

  1993

Similar researchers at Arizona State University

• Nicholas Batesh-86
• Jiwei Lih-43
• Stephanie Pfirmanh-35