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Dr. Margaret Kalácska

Phone: 604-716-3515

Email: kalacska@ualberta.ca

Web: http://mkalacska.com

Research interests

My main research interests include the application hyperspectral data, the use of Bayesian networks for predictive and decision support systems and the development of remote sensing techniques in the forensic and environmental sciences. I have participated in projects in Costa Rica, Panama, Mexico and Japan and have been involved in two NASA/CENAT airborne multi/hyperspectral missions over Costa Rica (CARTA I and II). I am currently affiliated both with the TROPI-DRY project at the University of Alberta working on ecological applications of remote sensing for Neotropical dry forests and also with the School of Criminology at Simon Fraser University working on forensic applications of remote sensing. Because of the complications many ecological and remotely sensed data pose, such as the violation of basic statistical assumptions, limited repetition or contrarily, very large data sets I am also interested in applying analysis techniques from other communities such as signal processing and pattern recognition for ecological and remote sensing problems.

Selected Publications

• 2003. Sánchez-Azofeifa G.A., Castro K.L., Rivard B., Kalácska M. Remote sensing research priorities in tropical dry forest environments. Biotropica. 35:134-142.
• 2003. Kalácska M., Keresztes R., Kalácska G. Engineering polymers or engineering wood? Tribological examination of nature's and science's composites. Plastics and Rubber 40:403-407.
• 2004. Kalácska M., Sánchez-Azofeifa G.A., Rivard B., Calvo-Alvarado J.C., Journet A.R.P., Arroyo-Mora J.P., Ortiz-Ortiz D. Leaf area index measurements in a tropical moist forest: A case study from Costa Rica. Remote Sensing of Environment. 91:134-152.
• 2004. Kalácska M., Sánchez-Azofeifa G.A., Calvo-Alvarado J.C., Quesada M., Rivard B., Janzen D.H. Species composition, similarity and diversity in three successional stages of seasonally dry tropical forest. Forest Ecology and Management. 200:227-247.
• 2005. Kalácska M., Calvo-Alvarado J.C., Sánchez-Azofeifa G.A. Calibration and assessment of seasonal changes in leaf area index of a tropical dry forest in different stages of succession. Tree Physiology 25:733-744.
• 2005. Sánchez-Azofeifa G.A., Kalácska M., Quesada M., Calvo-Alvarado J.C., Nassar J.M., Rodriguez J.P. Need for integrated research for a sustainable future in tropical dry forests (Editorial). Conservation Biology19(2) 285-286.
• 2005. Kalácska M., Sánchez-Azofeifa G.A., Caelli T., Rivard B., Boerlage B. Estimating leaf area index from satellite imagery using Bayesian Networks. IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing. 43(8):1866-1873.
• 2005. Arroyo-Mora J.P., Sánchez-Azofeifa G.A., Kalácska M., Rivard B., Calvo-Alvarado J.C.,Janzen D.H. Secondary forest detection in a Neotropical dry forest using Landsat 7 ETM+ imagery. Biotropica 37: 497-507.
• 2005. Sanchez-Azofeifa G.A., Quesada M., Rodriguez J.P., Nasser J.M., Stoner K.E., Castillo A., Garvin T., Zent E.L., Calvo J., Kalacska M., Fajardo L., Gamon J., Cuevas-Reyes P. Research priorities for Neotropical dry forests. Biotropica 37: 477-48.
• 2005. Kalácska M., Sánchez-Azofeifa G.A., Rivard B., Calvo-Alvarado J.C., Quesada M. Seasonal and successional changes in leaf area index in three Mesoamerican tropical dry forests. Biotropica 37: 486-496.