Laramie’s Water Cycle: An Earth Observation Field Study
What happens in the mountains doesn't stay in the mountains; it flows, feeds, and sustains. Our latest field study integrates 360° terrestrial imagery with NASA’s virtual field platform to visualize the invisible forces of the water cycle. By utilizing the NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) to track vegetation stress and MNDWI for surface water volume, we can better understand how our semi-arid landscape reacts to climate-driven temperature spikes.
As water moves toward the Laramie Valley, the landscape shifts to shortgrass prairie and ranchland.
On-the-Ground: Large wooden barns and buck-and-rail fences highlight the agricultural dependence on this water cycle.
Earth Observation: ECOSTRESS (on the ISS) measures Evapotranspiration (ET), helping us understand how much water is being "lost" to the atmosphere by prairie grasses and crops.
Virtual Field:
