Woods Hole Research Center

Research Associate
Woods Hole Research Center
149 Woods Hole Road
Falmouth, MA 02540-1644

Phone:

508-444-1507

Fax:

508-444-1807

Email:

Education

2004-2008 University of Tromsø (Norway) and International Institute for Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation (ITC, the Netherlands)
PhD. in Natural Sciences

2003-2004 University of Tromsø (Norway)
Master in Biology (Major: Environmental Botany)

2001-2002 University of Tromsø (Norway)
Bachelor in Biology (Major: Vegetation Ecology)

1999-2001 Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (Belgium)
Candidate in Biology

Professional Experience

• July 2011 - Present: Research Associate, Woods Hole Research Center
• 2008 - July 2011: Postdoctoral Fellow, Woods Hole Research Center
• 2007: Contract acquisition, GIS and vegetation ecology consultancy for GA Vegetation Analysis (Norway)

Research Interests

• Remote sensing and modeling of vegetation in high latitudes.
• Effects of climate variability, climate change and disturbance on the phenology, distribution, and carbon dynamics of vegetation.
• Spatiotemporal landscape dynamics as drivers of animal behavior.

Selected publications

Beck, P. S. A., R. D’Arrigo, L. Andreu-Hayles, K. J. Anchukaitis, S. J. Goetz. A large-scale coherent response of tree-ring density and NDVI to warming at high latitudes in North America. Global and Planetary Change, in press.

Andreu-Hayles, L., R. D’Arrigo, K. J. Anchukaitis, P. S. A. Beck, D. Frank, A. Verstege, S. J. Goetz 2011. Varying Northern Forest Response to Arctic Environmental Change at the Firth River, Alaska. Environmental Research Letters, 6: 04553, doi: 10.1088/1748-9326/6/4/045503

Beck, P. S. A., S. J. Goetz 2011. Satellite observations of high northern latitude vegetation productivity changes between 1982 and 2008: ecological variability and regional differences. Environmental Research Letters, 6: 045501, doi: 10.1088/1748-9326/6/4/045501.

Beck, P. S. A., N. Horning, S. J. Goetz, M. M. Loranty, K. Tape. Shrub cover on the North Slope of Alaska: a circa 2000 baseline map. In Press. Arctic, Antarctic and Alpine Research, 43(3): 355-363, doi: 10.1657/1938-4246-43.3.355.

Beck, P. S. A., S. J. Goetz, H. Alexander, M. C. Mack, Y. Jin, J. T. Randerson, M. M. Loranty. 2011. The effects and implications of an intensifying fire regime on boreal forest in Alaska. Global Change Biology, 17(9): 2853-2866, doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2486.2011.02412.x

Beck, P. S. A., G.P. Juday, C. Alix, V. Barber, S. Winslow, E. Sousa, P. Heiser, J. Herriges, S. J. Goetz. 2011. Changes in forest productivity across Alaska consistent with biome shift. Ecology Letters, 14: 373-379, 107(33): 14685-14690, doi: 10.1111/j.1461-0248.2011.01598.x

Berner, L., P. S. A. Beck, A., Bunn, A. H. Lloyd, S. J. Goetz 2011. Evaluation of high-latitude coniferous forest growth using a satellite-derived spectral vegetation index. Journal of Geophysical Research, 116, G01015, doi:10.1029/2010JG001475.

Castello, L. T., McGrath, P. S. A. Beck. Status of small-scale fishery resources in the Lower Amazon 2011. In Press. Fisheries Research, 110: 356-364, doi: 10.1016/j.fishres.2011.05.002.

Loranty, M. M., S. J. Goetz, P. S. A. Beck 2011. Tundra vegetation effects on pan-Arctic albedo. Environmental Research Letters, 6: 024014, doi: 10.1088/1748-9326/6/2/024014.

Wang, T. J., A. K. Skidmore, Z. Zeng, P. S. A. Beck, Y. Song, X. Liu, H. Prins 2010. Migration patterns of two endangered sympatric species from a remote sensing perspective. Photogrammetric Engineering and Remote Sensing, 76 (12): 1343-1352.

Goetz, S. J, H. E. Epstein, D. Alcaraz, P. S. A. Beck, U. Bhat, J. Comiso, G. J. Jia, J. O. Kaplan, H. Lischke, A. Lloyd, Q. Yu and D. A. Walker 2010, Recent Changes in Arctic Vegetation: Satellite Observations and Simulation Model Predictions. in G. Gutman and A. Reissel (eds.) Arctic land cover and land use in a change climate. Springer-Verlag, New York.

Brando, P. M., S. J. Goetz, A. Baccini, A., D. C. Nepstad, P. S. A. Beck, M. C. Christman 2010. Seasonal and Inter-annual Variability of Climate and Vegetation Indices across the Amazon. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA, www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.0908741107.

Zeng, Z.-G., P. S. A. Beck, T.-J. Wang, A. K. Skidmore, Y.-L. Song, H.-S. Gong, H. H. T. Prins. 2010: Plant phenology and solar radiation drive seasonal movement of golden takin in the Qinling Mountains, China. Journal of Mammalogy, 91(1): 92-100.

Wanebo-Nilsen, K., J. W. Bjerke, P. S. A. Beck, H. Tømmervik. 2010: Host-specific and geographical variation of epiphytic vegetation in spruce plantations and native birch forests along a coast-inland gradient in North Norway. Boreal Environment Research. 15(1): 43-57.

Goetz, S., M. Sun, A. Baccini, P. S. A. Beck. 2010: Synergetic use of space-borne LiDAR and optical imagery for assessing forest disturbance: an Alaska Case Study. Journal of Geophysical Research – Biogeosciences. 115: G00E07, DOI 10.1029/2008JG000898.

Beck P. S. A., T. J. Wang , A. K. Skidmore, X. H. Liu. 2008: Displaying remotely sensed vegetation dynamics along natural gradients for ecological studies. International Journal of Remote Sensing, 14: 4277-4283.

Beck, P. S. A., P. Jönsson,, K.-A. Høgda, S. R. Karlsen, L. Eklundh, A. K. Skidmore. 2007: A ground-validated NDVI dataset for monitoring vegetation dynamics and mapping phenology in Fennoscandia and the Kola peninsula. International Journal of Remote Sensing, 28(19-20): 4311-4330

Karlsen, S. R., I. Solheim, K. A. Høgda, F. E. Wielgolaski, H. Tømmervik, P. S. A. Beck. 2007: Variability of the start of the growing season in Fennoscandia, 1982-2002. International Journal of Biometeorology. 51: 513-524 DOI 10.1007/s00484-007-0091-x.

Arnesen, G., P. S. A. Beck, T. Engelskjøn. 2007: Soil acidity, content of carbonates, and available phosphorus are the soil factors best correlated with alpine vegetation: evidence from Troms, North Norway. Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research, 39(2): 189-199.

Beck, P. S. A., C. Atzberger, K. A. Høgda, B. Johansen, A. K. Skidmore. 2006: Improved monitoring of vegetation dynamics at very high latitudes: a new method using MODIS NDVI. Remote Sensing of Environment, 100 (3): 321-334

Beck, P. S. A., E. Kalmbach, A. Stien, D. Joly and L. Nilsen. 2005: Modelling local distribution of an arctic dwarf shrub indicates an important role for remote sensing of snow cover. Remote Sensing of Environment, 98: 110-121.