The National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded a $320,000 Project Grant under the Geosciences Program (CFDA 47.050) to the University of Delaware. The 3-year project, starting on January 1, 2025, will develop artificial intelligence (AI) methods to characterize changes in phytoplankton community composition across coastal and estuarine regions using hyperspectral satellite imagery. The key objectives are to build a large-scale database of phytoplankton observations, develop foundational AI models for predicting shifts in plankton communities, and create new software tools for analyzing hyperspectral remote sensing data. The findings will be integrated into educational materials, and the project will engage undergraduate and graduate students, particularly from underrepresented groups, in the research. This effort aims to improve understanding of how climatic factors influence phytoplankton communities and their impacts on food webs and biological shifts at regional-to-global scales.
Generated 3/4/25, 7:11 AM