Greg Asner

Greg Asner, Ph.D., received the 22^nd Heinz Award in the Environment category for developing ultra-high-resolution imaging technology that provides unprecedented detail on the biodiversity and health of the world’s forests and coral reefs, and the impact of deforestation, land degradation and climate change.

While traditional satellite imagery has allowed scientists to gauge the overall size of the world’s forests, Dr. Asner’s Carnegie Airborne Observatory (CAO) deploys ultra-high-tech mapping technology and instrumentation loaded aboard a fixed-wing aircraft to reveal in spectacular detail an ecosystem’s chemistry, structure, biomass and biodiversity, creating 3D maps allowing surveys over extensive areas. Dr. Asner and his team are able to image trees down to their individual branches, measuring the carbon stored in the soil, classifying each tree species based on its chemistry and evaluating the health of each tree — all from the air.

The equipment’s LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) system also maps the forest floor, revealing the hidden-under-canopy makeup and any damage from gold mining, land clearing and selective logging that previously would have been undetected. Dr. Asner and his team have mapped 300,000 square miles of the Peruvian Amazon by plane and with satellites, and much of the rain and cloud forests of Ecuador, Borneo, Brazil, Colombia and South Africa. His findings are empowering government agencies and non-government organizations, and impacting land use and environmental policy decisions in the United States and globally.

In the United States, Dr. Asner’s research has investigated the extent of forest damage caused by the recent California drought, and his findings are helping to change the pace and strategy of forest management efforts. Additionally, his work mapping the coral reefs of Hawaii and other regions is helping to measure the extent of coral reef die-off, with the end goal of supporting efforts to alleviate stresses on those reefs.

Dr. Asner continues to explore new ecological frontiers revealing what lies hidden under forest canopies and at the bottom of oceans. His discoveries equip us with the information needed to inform decision-making and protect our planet’s rich biodiversity.

Note: This profile was written at the time of the awards’ presentation.