Richard Birnie
Dartmouth College
Professor Richard Birnie is chairman of the Department of Earth Sciences at Dartmouth College, where he is involved in research using satellite remote sensing, image processing, and global positioning systems (GPS) for a variety of geologic and environmental applications.
Remotely sensed data provide a unique way to view the Earth's surface and the associated geologic and environmental processes. Satellite imagery provides a synoptic overview at scales not available through field work or conventional airphotos. The ability to image the earth at infrared wavelengths allows for spectral contrasts and discrimination beyond the visible; and the digital nature of satellite remotely sensed data allows for computer enhancements.
Birnie's specific geologic research has focused on petroleum exploration in the Big Horn Basin, Wyoming; mineral exploration in the Pacific Northwest, Pakistan, and Brazil; and lithologic mapping in Greenland and India. More recently, his attention has turned to environmental projects in northern New England, including mapping of the clear-cutting history and ecotones related to biodiversity in the Northern Forest Lands and alpine tundra mapping in the above-tree-line areas of the Presidential range to develop indicators of possible global climate change.
Contact Information:
Richard W. Birnie
Department of Earth Sciences
122 Fairchild Hall
Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH
03755
(603) 646-2666
Richard.W.Birnie@dartmouth.edu