Status and research interests:

Research Associate Professor with the University of Montana Flathead Lake Biological Station (FLBS) and Numerical Terradynamic Simulation Group (NTSG). My expertise and research interests involve soil-vegetation-atmosphere water, energy and trace gas relations, remote sensing, hydrological and ecosystem process modeling. My current research activities integrate biophysical theory, field measurements and emerging technologies such as optical and microwave remote sensing, geographic information systems, computer simulation and visualization models to describe the function, distribution and condition of vegetation and associated processes across the landscape. My interests emphasize an ecosystem perspective for understanding hydrological and related processes, integrating across disciplines and various scales.

Education:

• Ph.D. 1995. Bioresource Engineering, Oregon State University, Corvallis OR.
• M.A. 1990. Physical Geography, San Diego State University, San Diego CA
• B.A. 1987. Physical Geography, San Diego State University, San Diego CA

Professional affiliations:

• Associate member, ICARP-II Working Group on the Arctic terrestrial and freshwater biosphere and biodiversity (WG8);
• NASA ESSP Hydros mission science team;
• NASA EOS MODIS and AMSR-E instrument science teams;
• NASA BOREAS and BOREAS Follow-on science teams;
• Member: American Geophysical Union (AGU); European Geophysical Union (EGU); International Association of Hydrological Sciences (IAHS)

Selected publications:

• Frolking S., M. Fahnestock, T. Milliman, K. McDonald, and J.S. Kimball, 2005. Interannual variability in North American grassland biomass/productivity detected by SeaWinds scatterometer backscatter. Geophysical Research Letters, 32(21), L21409, 10.1029/2005GL024230.
• Kimball, J.S., K.C. McDonald, S.W. Running, and S. Frolking, 2004. Satellite radar remote sensing of seasonal growing seasons for boreal and subalpine evergreen forests. Remote Sensing of Environment 90, 243-258.
• Kimball, J.S., M. Zhao, K.C. McDonald, and S.W. Running, 2006. Satellite remote sensing of terrestrial net primary production for the pan-Arctic basin and Alaska. Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change DOI: 10.1007/s11027-005-9014-5.
• McDonald, K.C., J.S. Kimball, E. Njoku, R. Zimmermann, and M. Zhao, 2004. Variability in springtime thaw in the terrestrial high latitudes: Monitoring a major control on the biospheric assimilation of atmospheric CO₂ with spaceborne microwave remote sensing. Earth Interactions 8(20), 1-23.
• Turner, D.P., S.V. Ollinger, and J.S. Kimball, 2004. Integrating remote sensing and ecosystem process models for landscape- to regional-scale analysis of the carbon cycle. Bioscience 54(6), 573-584.
• Whited, D.C., J. A. Stanford and J.S. Kimball. 2002. Application of airborne multi-spectral digital imagery to characterize riverine habitat under variable hydrologic flows.  Regulated Rivers Research & Management 18, 583-594.
• Complete list