Adjunct Professor Compton J. Tucker elected to National Academy of Sciences

Adjunct Professor Compton J. Tucker with glasses and a sweater smiles at the camera.

Senior researcher known for satellite-based environmental analysis joins ranks of top U.S. scientists

Compton J. Tucker,  aka "Jim" or "Jimmy",  a long-standing adjunct professor at the Department of Geographical Sciences, has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences—one of the highest honors in the scientific community.

Tucker is known for pioneering satellite-based, time-series monitoring of land vegetation, beginning in 1982 with data from the NOAA Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR). His work has advanced global and continental studies of land photosynthesis, drought mapping, land cover analysis and food security monitoring. His research has also played a role in addressing the desert locust outbreaks and linking weather patterns to disease events.

In addition to using AVHRR data, Tucker has applied Landsat imagery to study forest health, deforestation and glacier extent. More recently, he has used high-resolution commercial satellite data (50 cm) to map 10 billion discrete semi-arid trees across semi-arid Africa north of the equator and south of the Sahara, converting those measurements into carbon estimates at the tree level—an innovative approach to understanding carbon storage in semi-arid landscapes.

Based at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Tucker has had a continuous collaboration with the department since the early 1980s.

Tucker’s election to the National Academy of Sciences recognizes his exceptional contributions to remote sensing, environmental science and global sustainability.

Published on Thu, 05/01/2025 - 09:03