Education:
Doctor of Philosophy in Geography (Remote Sensing) 1994 Boston University, Boston, MA Modeling the Direct-Beam Instantaneous Spectral Surface Albedo of a Forested Landscape using Geometric-Optics and a Distributed Parameter Approach
Master of Science in Meteorology 1982 Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA Variation in tropical wind patterns (1968-1979)
Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Sciences (Meteorology) 1982 Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge,
MA Master of Liberal Arts in Archaeology 1988 Harvard University, University Extension, Cambridge, MA Establishment and demise of Moche V: Assessment of the climatic impact
Research Interests:
Crystal Barker Schaaf is working on the development and use of operational products from NASA's MODerate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS) to monitor the Earth's environments from the Terra and Aqua polar-orbiting space platforms. She is a science team member for both MODIS and the VIIRS (Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite) sensor on board the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership platform (NPP is the precursor to the next generation of national meteorological satellites). Her early research focused the use of remote sensing in automated cloud analyses and the detection of initiating convective clouds.
Schaaf's current interests include modeling reflectance anisotropy and albedo and using remote sensing data to reconstruct and and monitor the reflectance characteristics of various land surfaces, including vegetation phenology and land surface change. More recently she has also been involved in the development and use of ground-based lidar systems to characterize biomass and vegetation structure.