Andrew Klein
Director of Distance Education, Professor
EOG Teaching Professorship in Geosciences
Research
My current research is focused on the following projects:
- Synthesizing a 15-year record of localized anthropogenic impacts at McMurdo Station, Antarctica and summarizing similar impacts at Palmer Station, Antarctica.
- Participating as a co-PI on a collaborative NSF grant studying Sea ice as a driver of Antarctic benthic macroalgal community composition and nearshore trophic connectivity. This grant runs through 2021 and includes an Antarctic research cruise on the Lawrence M. Gould in April-May 2019.
- Participation as a co-PI on a Texas A&M X-Grant (PI – Julie Losiel) entitled Monitoring Rapidly Changing Arctic Ecosystems Using High-Resolution Satellite-Based Datasets and Artificial Intelligence.
- Working with my graduate student, Manuel Salgado, on UAV studies of snow depth and snow depth change.
Impact
I am a broadly trained physical geographer with a strong background in Geographic Information Science (GISci). My research has contributed to understanding the cryosphere as I have developed and applied GISci, including remote sensing, to basic and applied research concerning the Earth’s cold regions. My research has advanced the remote sensing of seasonal snow cover and studied the retreat of tropical glaciers. For over 15 years, I contributed to the most extensive monitoring program investigating the impact of science and operations on local environment in Antarctica. This work has helped the United States Antarctic Program meet its obligations to the Antarctic Treaty. I have employed by background and skills in GISci to help improve instruction of the topic in K-12 schools through research and outreach activities.
I continue to serve the Geography Department and the larger University with a strong emphasis on teaching and service. I have been key to the development of a B.S. in Geographic Information Science and Technology and am the Faculty Program leader of a new Masters of Geoscience degree focusing on the application of Geographic Information Science and Technology to the Energy Industry. I am currently Speaker of the Faculty Senate. As chairman of the University’s Core Curriculum Council worked diligently on general education issues including revision of the University’s International and Cultural Diversity graduation requirement.
Selected Publications
El-Kady, A.A., Wade, T.L., Sweet, S.T., and Klein, A.G. 2019. Spatial distribution and ecological risk assessment of trace metals in surface sediments of Lake Qaroun, Egypt. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 191, 413. doi: 10.1007/s10661-019-7548-3
Khan, A.L., Klein, A.G. Kaitch, J. and Xian P. 2019. Local emissions and regional wildfires influence refractory black carbon observations near Palmer Station, Antarctica. Frontiers in Earth Science, section Atmospheric Science 7(49). doi: 10.3389/feart.2019.00049
*Thapa S., Chhetri P.K., and Klein A.G. 2019. Cross-Comparison between MODIS and VIIRS Snow Cover Products for the 2016 Hydrological Year. Climate 7(4):57. doi: /10.3390/cli7040057
Gearhart, S. Perez-Patron, M., Hammond, T. Goldberg, D.W., Klein, A. and Horney, J.A. 2018. The Impact of Natural Disasters on Domestic Violence: An Analysis of Reports of Simple Assault in Florida (1999-2007). Violence and Gender 5(2): 87-92. doi: 10.1089/vio.2017.0077
Klein, A., Snape, I., Shafer, C. Aislabie, J, Delille, D. De., and Azevedo Jurelevicius, D. 2018. Environmental Remediation. Antarctica Environments Portal. doi: 10.18124/D4992N
Huang, Y. Lui, H., Yu, B., Wu, J., Kang, E.L., Xu, M., Wang, S., Klein, A ;and Chen, Y. 2018. Improving MODIS snow products with a HMRF-based spatio-temporal modeling technique. Remote Sensing of Environment 204: 568-582. doi: 10.1016/j.rse.2017.10.001.
Klein, A. Snape, I., Shafer, C. Aislabie, J, Delille, D. De Azevedo Jurelevicius, D. 2018. Environmental Remediation. Antarctica Environments Portal. doi: 10.18124/D4992N
Brannstrom, C. Tilton, M. Klein, A. and Jepson, W. 2015. Spatial distribution of estimated wind-power royalties in west Texas. Land 4(4): 1182-1199. doi:10.3390/land4041182.
Filler, D.M., Kennicutt, M.C.II, Snape, I., Sweet. S. and Klein, A.2015. Arctic and Antarctic Spills in M. Fingas (Editor) Handbook of Oil Spill Science and Technology.Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, pp. 497-512. ISBN: 978-470-45551-7.
Sweet, S.T., Kennicutt, M.C. II and Klein, A.G. September 2014. The grounding of the Bahia Paraiso, Arthur Harbor, Antarctica. Distribution and fate of oil spill related hydrocarbons in M. Fingas (Editor) Handbook of Oil Spill Science and Technology. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, pp. 547-556. ISBN: 978-470-45551-7.
Albert, T. Klein, A., Kincaid, J., Huggel, C., Racoviteanu, A., Arnaud, Y., Silverio, W. and Ceballos, J.L. 2014. Remote sensing of rapidly diminishing tropical glaciers in the Northern Andes. in em>Global Land Ice Measurements from Space, J.S. Kargel, G.J. Leonard, M.P. Bishop, A. Kääb, and B. Raup (Editors), Praxis-Springer : Heidelberg, pp. 609-638. ISBN: 978-3-540-79817-0. doi: 10.1007/978-3-540-79818-7_26.
Klein, A.G., Sweet, S.T., Kennicutt, M.C. II, Wade, T.L., Palmer T. and Montagna, P. 2014. Long term monitoring of human impacts to the terrestrial environment at McMurdo Station, Antarctica. in T. Tin, D. Liggett, P. Maher. and M. Lamers, (eds). Antarctic Futures: Human engagement with the Antarctic Environment, pp. 213-227. doi: 10.1007/978-94-007-6582-5.
Raup, B.H., SiriJodhaS, K., Armstrong, R.L., Sneed, W.A., Hamilton, G.S., Paul, F., Cawkwell, F., Beedle, M.Jl, Menounos, B.P., Wheate, R.D., Rott, H., Shiyin, L., Xin, L., Donghui, S., Guodong, C., Kargel, J.S., Larsen, C.F., Molnia, B., Kincaid, J.L., Klein, A.Konovalov, V. 2014 , Quality in the GLIMS Glacier Database in Global Land Ice Measurements from Space, J.S. Kargel, G.J. Leonard, M.P. Bishop, A. Kääb, and B. Raup (Editors), Praxis-Springer : Heidelberg, pp. 163-182. ISBN: 978-3-540-79817-0. doi: 10.1007/978-3-540-79818-7_7.
*Jo, Injeong, Klein, A., Bednarz, R., and Bednarz S. 2012. An exploration of spatial thinking in introductory GIS courses, in D. Unwin, K. Foote, N. Tate and D. DiBiase (Editors) Teaching Geographic Information Science in Higher Education, Wiley-Blackwell. pp. 211-229.
Goldberg, D., M. Olivares, Z. Li, and A. G. Klein. 2014, Maps & GIS Data Libraries in the Era of Big Data and Cloud Computing, Journal of Map & Geography Libraries, 10(1), 100-122. doi: 10.1080/15420353.2014.893944
Klein, A.G., Sweet, S.T., Wade, T.L., Sericano, J.L. and Kennicutt, M.C. 2012. Spatial patterns of total petroleum hydrocarbons in the terrestrial environment at McMurdo Station, Antarctica. Antarctic Science. doi:10.1017/S0954102012000429.
*Aly, M.H., Giardino, J.R. Klein, A.G. and Zebker, H.A. 2012. InSAR study of shoreline change along the Damietta Promontory, Egypt. Journal of Coastal Research 28(5). 1263-1269.
doi: 10.2112/JCOASTRES-D-11-00182.1
*Aly, M.H., Klein, A.G., Zebker, H.A., and Giardino, J.R. 2012. Land Subsidence in the Nile Delta of Egypt Measured by SAR Interferometry. Remote Sensing Letters 3(7): 621-630.
doi: 10.1080/01431161.2011.652311
*Dobreva, I.D. and Klein, A.G. 2011. Fractional snow cover mapping through artificial neural network analysis of MODIS surface reflectance. Remote Sensing of Environment 115(12): 3355-3366. doi: 10.1016/j.rse.2011.07.018.
Kennicutt, M.C.II, Klein, A.G., Montagna, P., Sweet, S., Wade, T., Palmer , T., Sericano, J. and Denoux, G. 2010. Temporal and Spatial Patterns of Anthropogenic Disturbance at McMurdo Station, Antarctica. Environmental Research Letters. 304010. doi: 10.1088/1748-9326/5/3/034010
*Aly, M.H., Zebker, H.A, Giardino, J.R. and Klein, A.G. 2009. Permanent Scatterer Investigation of Land Subsidence in Greater Cairo, Egypt. Geophysical Journal International 178(3), 1238-1245(8): doi: 10.1111/j.1365-246X.2009.04250.x
Klein, A.G., Kennicutt, M.C. II, Wolff, G.A., Sweet, S.T., Bloxom, T., Gielstra, D.A. and Cleckley, M. 2008. The Historical Development of McMurdo Station, Antarctica, an Environmental Perspective. Polar Geography 31(3-4):119-144. doi: 10.1080/10889370802579856.
Klein, A.G. and Kincaid, J.L., 2008. On the disappearance of the Puncak Mandala ice cap, Papua. Journal of Glaciology, 54(184): 195-198.
Klein, A.G. and Kincaid, J.L. 2006. Retreat of glaciers on Mt. Jaya, Irian Jaya determined from 2000 and 2002 IKONOS satellite images. Journal of Glaciology, 52(176):65-79.
Lee, S., Klein, A.G., and Over, T. 2005. An assessment of the suitability of MODIS snow products for simulating streamflow in the Upper Rio Grande River Basin using the snowmelt runoff model. Hydrological Processes, 19:2951-2972.
Lee, S., Klein, A.G., and Over, T. 2004. Effects of the El Niño/Southern Oscillation on temperature, precipitation, snow water equivalent and resulting streamflow in the Upper Rio Grande River Basin. Hydrological Processes, 18:1053-1071.
Klein, A.G. and Barnett, A.C. 2003. Validation of daily MODIS snow cover maps of the Upper Rio Grande River Basin for the 2000-2001 snow year. Remote Sensing of Environment, 86:162-176.
Klein, A.G. and Stroeve, J. 2002. Development and validation of a snow albedo algorithm for the MODIS instrument. Annals of Glaciology, 34:45-52.
Education
- Ph.D. Geological Sciences (now Earth and Atmospheric Sciences), Cornell University, 1997
- B.A. Geology and Environmental Studies with Geography Core, Macalester College, 1990
Awards
Recent
- 2017 Recipient of Texas A&M Association of Former Students College Level Distinguished Achievement Award for Excellence in Teaching
- 2017 Recipient of the College of Geosciences Selfless Service Award
- 2016 Recipient of the Distinguished Achievement Award for Faculty Excellence in Teaching, College of Geosciences
Links
Introductory Biography - https://youtu.be/sh0kZwEdPFM
Educational websites about our previous research on Human Impacts in Antarctica:
- 2007 - https://www.polartrec.com/expeditions/human-impacts-in-antarctica
- 2011 - https://www.polartrec.com/expeditions/human-impacts-in-antarctica-2011
- 2015 - https://www.polartrec.com/expeditions/human-impacts-in-antarctica-2015
Our Island to Ice Facebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/IslandtoIce/
Drone Video Footage - https://youtu.be/oxtXPJqtm1I
Additional Information
Faculty Program Director - Master of Geoscience – GIS
Geography-GIST Undergraduate Program Lead
Experience
- Professor, Texas A&M University, Department of Geography, 2015-present,
- Associate Professor, Texas A&M University, Department of Geography, 2004-2015
- Assistant Professor, Texas A & M University, Department of Geography, 1998-2004.
- Visiting Scientist, Universities Space Research Association (USRA), Hydrological Sciences Branch, NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, 1997-1998. Algorithm development and validation of a global snow-cover mapping algorithm for the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument.
- Lecturer, Geography Department, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Spring 1998.
- Graduate Research Assistant, Cornell University, NASA EOS Interdisciplinary Investigation, 1990-1996. Investigated modern and late Pleistocene glacier and snow distribution in the central Andes and Bhutan Himalayas for paleoclimate reconstructions
- Geologist, U.S. Geological Survey, Branch of Eastern Regional Geology, Summer 1990. Performed field mapping and pedological analysis of Holocene and Pleistocene river terraces along the Potomac River, Virginia.
- Hydrologist, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Summer 1988-Spring 1989. Conducted aquifer tests and other groundwater investigations in response to severe drought conditions in Minnesota.
Affiliations
- American Association for the Advancement of Science
- American Geophysical Union
- Association of American Geographers
- International Glaciological Society
