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Latha Baskaran

Photo of Latha Baskaran

Address:

4800 Oak Grove Drive
M/S 233-300

Pasadena, CA 91109

Phone:

818-393-2992

Curriculum Vitae:

Click here

Member of:

Carbon Cycle And Ecosystems

Biography

Dr. Latha Baskaran is a Geospatial scientist with experience in spatial modeling, data management and environmental indicators. She has worked on Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and remote sensing applications in biodiversity, ecology and hydrology. She is also interested in visualizing and analyzing information collected across spatial scales - satellite-borne, airborne and ground-based data.

Education

  • Ph.D., Geography, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (2017)
  • M.S., Geography, Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA (2003)
  • B.E., GeoInformatics, Anna University, India (2001)

Professional Experience

Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA

  • Geospatial technologist, Carbon Cycle & Ecosystems Group (2019 - present)

Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN

  • Research scientist, Environmental Science Division (2005 - 2018)
  • Post-masters research associate, Environmental Science Division (2003 - 2005)

Research Interests

  • Mapping post-fire vegetation recovery
  • Use of imaging spectroscopy, lidar and radar for vegetation mapping
  • Geospatial modeling and data science
  • Biodiversity and species habitat modeling
  • Bioenergy
  • Hydrologic modeling

Selected Publications

  1. Liu, J., L. Baskaran, K. Bowman, D. Schimel, A.A. Bloom, N. Parazoo, T. Oda, D. Carroll, D. Menemenlis, J. Joiner, and R. Commane. 2021. Carbon monitoring system flux net biosphere exchange 2020 (CMS-Flux NBE 2020). Earth System Science Data, 13(2), pp.299-330, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-13-299-2021.
  2. E. S. Parish, L. Baskaran, and V. H. Dale. 2020. Framework for assessing land management effects on species of concern: An example using wood pellet production and the gopher tortoise. WIREs Energy and Environment, 10(1), p.e385.https://doi.org/10.1002/wene.385.
  3. Wang, G., H. I. Jager, L. M. Baskaran, and C. C. Brandt. 2018. Hydrologic and Water Quality Responses to Biomass Production in the Tennessee River Basin. GCB Bioenergy. doi:10.1111/gcbb.12537
  4. Baskaran, L. 2017. Effects of switchgrass related land-use changes on aquatic macroinvertebrates. PhD Dissertation. University of Tennessee, Department of Geography, Knoxville, TN.
  5. Jager, H. I., M. Wu, M. Ha, L. Baskaran and J. Krieg. 2017. Water Quality Responses to Simulated Management Practices on Agricultural Lands Producing Biomass Feedstocks in Two Tributary Basins of the Mississippi River, in R.A. Efroymson et al. eds., 2016 Billion-Ton Report: Advancing Domestic Resources for a Thriving Bioeconomy, Volume 2: Environmental Sustainability Effects of Select Scenarios from Volume 1. ORNL/TM-2016/727. Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, pp.140-182. DOI: 10.2172/1338837
  6. Wolfe, A. K., V. H. Dale., T. Arthur and L.M. Baskaran. 2017. Ensuring that ecological science contributes to natural resource management using a Delphi-derived approach, In SA Gray et al. eds., Environmental Modeling with Stakeholders: Theory, Methods and Applications. Springer, pp. 103-124, DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-25053-3_6
  7. Jager, H. I., L.M. Baskaran, P.E. Schweizer, A.F. Turhollow, C.C. Brandt, and R. Srinivasan. 2015. Forecasting changes in water quality in rivers associated with growing biofuels in the Arkansas-White-Red river drainage, USA. Global Change Biology: Bioenergy. 7(4): 774-784.
  8. Baskaran, L., H. Jager, A. Turhollow. Understanding shifts in agricultural landscapes: context matters when simulating future changes in water quantity and quality. ORNL TM Report - ORNL/TM-2013/531.
  9. Parish, E.S., M. Hilliard. L.M. Baskaran, V.H. Dale, N.A. Griffiths, P.J. Mulholland, A. Sorokine, M.E. Downing, R. Middleton, and N.A. Thomas. 2012. Multimetric spatial optimization of switchgrass plantings across a watershed. Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefining. 6: 58-72.
  10. McBride, A.C., V.H. Dale, L.M. Baskaran, M.E. Downing, L.M. Eaton, R.A. Efroymson, C.T. Garten Jr., K.L. Kline, H.I. Jager, P.J. Mulholland, E.S. Parish, P.E. Schweizer, and J.M. Storey. 2011. Indicators to support environmental sustainability of bioenergy systems. Ecological Indicators. 11: 1277-1289.
  11. Baskaran, L., H.I. Jager, P.E. Schweizer, and R. Srinivasan. 2010. Progress toward evaluating the sustainability of switchgrass as a bioenergy crop using the SWAT model. Transactions of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers 53(5): 1547-1556.
  12. Jager, H.I., L. M. Baskaran, C. C. Brandt, E. B. Davis, C. A. Gunderson, S. D. Wullschleger. 2010. Empirical geographic modeling of switchgrass yields in the United States. Global Change Biology: Bioenergy 2: 248-257.
  13. West, T.O., C.C. Brandt, L.M. Baskaran, C.M. Hellwinckel, R. Mueller, C.J. Bernacchi, V.P. Bandaru, B. Yang, B.S. Wilson, G. Marland, R.G. Nelson, D.G. De La Torre Ugarte, and W.M. Post. 2010. Cropland carbon fluxes in the United States: increasing geospatial resolution of inventory-based carbon accounting. Ecological Applications. 20:1074-1086.
  14. Baskaran, L., H. I. Jager, P. E. Schweizer, and R. Srinivasan. 2009. Use of the SWAT model to evaluate the sustainability of switchgrass production at a national scale. 2009 International SWAT Conference Proceedings, Boulder, CO. http://twri.tamu.edu/reports/2009/tr356.pdf
  15. Gunderson, C. A., E. Davis, H. Jager, T. West, R. Perlack, C. Brandt, S. Wullschleger, L. Baskaran, E. Wilkerson and M. Downing. 2008.
  16. Exploring potential U.S. switchgrass production for lignocellulosic ethanol. Oak Ridge National Laboratory. ORNL/TM-2008/103.
  17. Dale, V., F. Akhtar, M. Aldridge, L. Baskaran, M. Berry, M. Browne, M. Chang, R. Efroymson, C. Garten, E. Lingerfelt, and C. Stewart. 2008. Modeling the Effects of Land Use on Quality of Water, Air, Noise, and Habitat for a Five-County Region in Georgia. Ecology and Society. 13: [online] URL: http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol13/iss1/art10/
  18. Baskaran, L., V. Dale, W. Birkhead, and R. Efroymson. 2006. Habitat modeling within a regional context: An example using Gopher Tortoise. American Midland Naturalist. 155: 335-351.
  19. Baskaran, L., V. Dale, C. Garten, D. Vogt, C. Rizy, R. Efroymson, M. Aldridge, M. Berry, M. Browne, E. Lingerfelt, F. Akhtar, M. Chang and C. Stewart. 2006. Estimating land-cover change in RSim: Problems and constraints. Proceedings for the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing 2006 Conference, Reno, NV, May 1-5 2006.
  20. Dale, V., M. Aldridge, T. Arthur, L. Baskaran, M. Berry, M. Chang, R. Efroymson, C. Garten, C. Stewart, and R. Washington-Allen. 2006. Bioregional Planning in Central Georgia. Futures. 38:471-489.
  21. Dale, V., D. Druckenbrod, L. Baskaran, M. Aldridge, M. Berry, C. Garten, L. Olsen, R. Efroymson, and R. Akhtar. 2005. Vehicle impacts on the environment at different spatial scales: Observations in west central Georgia, USA. Journal of Terramechanics.42: 383-402.
  22. Dale, V., and L. Baskaran. Identifying habitats of rare species on and around military installations. 2005. Proceedings from the Symposium and Workshop on Threatened, Endangered and At-Risk Species (TER-S) on DoD and Adjacent Lands, Baltimore, MD, June 7-9, 2005.
  23. Efroymson, R., V. Dale, L. Baskaran, M. Chang, M. Aldridge, and M. Berry. 2005. Planning transboundary ecological risk assessments at military installations. Human and Ecological Risk Assessment.11: 1193-1215.
  24. Tran, L., S. T. Jarnagin, C. G. Knight and L. Baskaran. 2004. Mapping spatial accuracy and estimating landscape indicators from thematic land-cover maps using fuzzy set theory, 173-188. In R.S. Lunetta and J. G. Lyon (Eds) Remote Sensing and GIS Accuracy Assessment, CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL.