Positions

Research Areas research areas

Overview

  • I am an environmental scientist focusing on the terrestrial carbon cycle, vegetation dynamics, landscape ecology, and snow characterization using field measurements, remote sensing, and geospatial science. My research ranges from field studies of vegetation structure to the use of satellite imagery in an effort to predict disease, understand forest dynamics, and find and interpret past human settlement patterns. At UNH, I am the coordinator for the Environmental Science interdisciplinary undergraduate major, and presently lead the Graduate Geospatial Science Certificate Program. I am or have been a Principal Investigator on ten major remote sensing projects, seven completed and three active. My research has received external funding from NASA, NSF, USAID, USDA, USGS, and DOD. I am actively developing an Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) center and have deployed UAS systems for five different field projects around the globe. As a previous affiliate faculty at the University of Brasilia, I have aided and hosted visiting Brazilian PhD students. I am a former TEDx speaker, where my talked focused on the creative aspects of science the interdisciplinary aspects of scientific studies. At UNH, I teach graduate and undergraduate courses in geospatial science, remote sensing, environmental science, and tropical ecology. I have been active member in the scientific community, leading sessions at conferences, reviewing papers for multiple journals, and serving on review panels for NASA, NSF, and DOE. I also served on NASA Data Review Panels and DOE planning campaigns. Production of electronic music and audio field recording, as a semi-professional, is a focus of my creative outlet. I have numerous albums under the pseudonym “horchata” and have made many field recordings during my trips to Amazonia and other locations. Recently, I have been using modified image sensors to track the body movements of dancers in real-time and in three dimensions, while converting the data to sound and music.
  • Principal Investigator On

  • Smoke on the Water: Lake-based calibration of Amazonian fire histories  awarded by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) 2020 - 2023
  • Predicting density and occurrence of keystone and umbrella species using drone-based LiDAR  awarded by University of Vermont 2021 - 2023
  • Dynamic Modeling of Ecosystem Processes and Services in North American Boreal Forests  awarded by Dartmouth College 2019 - 2023
  • Understanding the Role of Moisture in Rainfall Variability and Agricultural Decision Making  awarded by Georgia State University 2017 - 2023
  • RII Track-2: Computational Methods and Autonomous Robotics Systems for Modeling and Predicting  awarded by Dartmouth College 2019 - 2022
  • Drought-Induced Vegetation Change and Fire in Amazonian Forests: Past, Present, and Future  awarded by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) 2014 - 2019
  • Operational Multi-Sensor Design for National Scale Forest Carbon Monitoring to Support REDD MRV Systems  awarded by Applied GeoSolutions LLC 2013 - 2017
  • Examining the Spatial and Temporal Ecology of Vector-Borne Lyme Disease in NH  awarded by NH Department of Health & Human Services 2017
  • Mounds, Microclimates, and Maize: Understanding the Influence of Inland Lakes on Agriculture in Pre-contact Indigenous Societies Using Remote Sensing Image Data  awarded by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) 2013 - 2017
  • Tropical Moist Forest Structure and Biomass Estimation from Bistatic InSAR at X-band (TanDEM-X), Small and Large-Spot Lidar, and Field Measurements  awarded by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) 2012 - 2016
  • Estimating Forest Structure and Change Using High Resolution Lidar  awarded by US DA, Department of Agriculture 2012 - 2015
  • Estimation of Tropical Forest Structure Using Multiple Remote Sensing Platforms and Field Based Data  awarded by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) 2010 - 2014
  • Environmental, Social and Economic Consequences of a Tar Sands Pipeline in New England  awarded by Natl Wildlife Federation 2013 - 2014
  • Analysis and Detection of Amazonian Black Earth Sites using Hyperspectral Satellite Imagery  awarded by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) 2010 - 2013
  • Scaling Forest Biometric Properties Derived from High Resolution Imagery using Moderate Resolution Spectral Reflectance Data  awarded by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) 2008 - 2012
  • A Historical Reconstruction of Vegetation and a Carbon Budget for the Brazilian Cerrado using Multiple Satellite Sensors and Historical Aerial Photography  awarded by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) 2008 - 2012
  • Investigator On

  • Developing and Evaluating Novel Techniques for Moose Monitoring in New Hampshire  awarded by NH Department of Fish & Game 2022 - 2025
  • Biophysical Drivers of Sedimentation in Salt Marsh Environments with Implications for Coastal Resiliency  awarded by US Army Research & Development Center 2021 - 2024
  • Predicting density and occurrence of keystone and umbrella species using drone-based LiDAR  awarded by University of Vermont 2021 - 2023
  • From Archea to the Atmosphere: Integrating Microbial, Isotopic and Landscape-Scale Observations to Quantify Methane Emissions from Global High-Latitude Ecosystems  awarded by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) 2017 - 2023
  • MSF-FRA: The Influence of Biological Diversity on Land-Atmosphere Exchange in Forests: Confronting Theory with Data  awarded by National Science Foundation (NSF) 2016 - 2022
  • Interactive Effects of Catchment and Climate Change on Water Quality  awarded by Dartmouth College 2017 - 2022
  • Landscape Scale Detection and Analysis of Dispersed Physical Food Storage Archeological Features in the Northern Great Lakes Region  awarded by National Science Foundation (NSF) 2017 - 2022
  • Cold Regions Operations and Assessment Research  awarded by US DOD, Department of Defense 2018 - 2021
  • Collaborative Research: Towards a Mechanistic Prediction of Methane Ebullition Fluxes from Northern Peatlands  awarded by National Science Foundation (NSF) 2016 - 2020
  • Climate Change Adaptation in Working Landscapes of the Intermountain Northwest  awarded by University of Colorado 2014 - 2019
  • Using Spatial and Genetic Tools to Understand Functional Connectivity in a Patchy Landscape  awarded by National Science Foundation (NSF) 2013 - 2015
  • Teaching Activities

  • Earth in Film Taught course
  • Earth/Envi Sci Remote Sensing Taught course
  • Earth/Envi Sci Remote Sensing Taught course
  • Earth/Envi Sciences GIS Taught course
  • Advanced Research Experience Taught course 2023
  • Earth in Film Taught course 2023
  • Earth/Envi Sci Remote Sensing Taught course 2023
  • Earth/Envi Sciences GIS Taught course 2022
  • Earth in Film Taught course 2022
  • Earth/Envi Sci Remote Sensing Taught course 2022
  • Top/Geospatial Disease Climate Taught course 2022
  • Earth/Envi Sciences GIS Taught course 2021
  • Adv Rsrch Exp/Earth Sciences Taught course 2021
  • Earth in Film Taught course 2021
  • Earth in Film/Honors Taught course 2021
  • Earth/Envi Sci Remote Sensing Taught course 2021
  • Earth/Envi Sciences GIS Taught course 2020
  • Adv Rsrch Exp/Earth Sciences Taught course 2020
  • Earth in Film Taught course 2020
  • Top/Geospatial NetworkAnalysis Taught course 2020
  • Adv Rsrch Exp/Earth Sciences Taught course 2019
  • Advanced Seminar/Earth Taught course 2019
  • Earth/Envi Sciences GIS Taught course 2019
  • Earth/Envi Sci Remote Sensing Taught course 2019
  • Earth/Envi Sciences GIS Taught course 2018
  • Top/Geospatial NetworkAnalysis Taught course 2018
  • Top/GIS for Earth & Env Sci Taught course 2017
  • Earth in Film Taught course 2017
  • Top/Remote Sensing Earth & Env Taught course 2017
  • Earth in Film Taught course 2016
  • Top/GIS for Earth & Env Sci Taught course 2015
  • Proj/Environmental Science I Taught course 2015
  • Intro to Environmental Science Taught course 2014
  • Intro to Environmental Science Taught course 2014
  • Professional Perspective NR Taught course 2014
  • Proj/Environmental Science I Taught course 2014
  • Elements of GSS Taught course 2013 - 2014
  • Education And Training

  • Oxford University , Environmental Change Institute, School of Geography and the Environment, Research Scientist
  • B.A. Archaelogy/Envir Sci, University of Virginia
  • M.S. Environmental Science, University of Virginia
  • Ph.D. Natural Resources Management, University of New Hampshire
  • Full Name

  • Michael Palace