Biography
Sacha is a PhD student in the Coomes Lab, Department of Plant Sciences, and is a member of Churchill College, Cambridge. Before moving to England, Sacha graduated from the University of Tuscia, Italy, with honours in Forestry and Environmental Science, after following an Erasmus Mundus Master programme on Mediterranean Forestry and Natural Resources Management. She became interested in natural resources management and plant sciences as an undergraduate in Biology and Biochemistry at Saint Joseph University, Lebanon.
Research
Remote sensing technologies have been developed over the years to monitor changes on multiple scales; they are ever more relevant today in ecology and conservation because of the pressing challenges of climate change and resources scarcity.
From global, low-resolution sensing to local, high-resolution sensing, scientists are attempting to answer important ecological question with increasing confidence and accuracy to assist policy makers and practitioners in managing efficiently the world’s resources. In my study I will be collecting the spectral signatures of tree leaves at a number of sites across Alto Tajo, to assess water content and compare it with vegetation indices calculated from high-resolution multispectral satellite imagery (Landsat and sentinel 2) and the hyperspectral sensor AisaFENIX. This will indicate how well we can monitor forest water use using satellite imagery in face of future climatic changes and droughts. A validated remote sensing method would provide a valuable alternative to expensive, intensive ground based measurements.
