Research

Remote Sensing and Infrared Spectroscopy

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(top) Imaging spectroscopy at large scale from orbit identifies rock units with minerals recording changing water-rich environments from Mars. (bottom) Microimaging spectroscopy indicates changing sources of sediments building stromatolites in this sample measured by an instrument proposed for flight (Ehlmann lab).

Minerals, ices, and organics record the evolutionary history of planets. We develop approaches to determine what planets are made of and monitor changing environments. Our specialties are in imaging spectroscopy, stereo imaging, and multiple dataset integration whether from orbit, from UAVs, on the ground with rovers and landers, or in the lab. Current projects include:

  • IR, Raman, and XRD spectral libraries for Mg/Fe(II)/Fe(III) brucites and layered double hydroxides, Mg/Fe(II)/Fe(III) serpentines, and Fe(II)/Fe(III) sulfides/sulfide hydroxides required for understanding aqueous alteration on planetary bodies
  • Microimaging spectroscopy of meteorites
  • Micro-imaging spectroscopy of basaltic/gabbroic ocean crust and ultramafic mantle drill cores from the ICDP Oman Drilling Project
  • Remote sensing of the mineralogy of Earth's dust (EMIT and FRAGMENT)
  • Mapping water ice from spectra on the Moon
  • Monitoring California oak woodlands and response to water stress with imaging spectroscopy
  • Many planetary and instrument projects
  • Development of Workbench for Imaging Spectroscopy Exploration and Research (WISER) software in partnership with the Caltech Schmidt Academy for Software Engineering