“Science is a great game. It is inspiring and refreshing. The playing field is the universe itself. ” — Isidor Isaac Rabi
John F. Schalles

Professor
Aquatic Science: Productivity Patterns of Coastal & Inland Waters
Director of the Environmental Science Program
Ph.D. – Emory University, 1979
M.S. – Miami University, 1973
B.S. – Grove City College, 1971
Creighton University
2500 California Plaza
Omaha, NE 68178-0103
Courses Offered
- BIO/EVS 335 – Zoology
- BIO/EVS 385 – The Ecology, Geography and Health of Lakes
- BIO/EVS 390 – Environmental Science
- BIO/EVS 435 – Coastal and Estuarine Ecology
- BIO/EVS 485 – Marine and Freshwater Ecology
- BIO/EVS 486 – Freshwater Ecology Laboratory
- BIO/EVS 487 – Marine Ecology Laboratory
- BIO/EVS 523 – Environmental Toxicology and Risk Assessment
Research Interests
Ecological Remote Sensing
- Algorithms for Chlorophyll Retrieval in Turbid Coastal and Inland Waters
- Wetland Vegetation - Community Composition and Biomass
- CDOM in Estuarine and Shelf waters
- Coral Reef and Seagrass Community Assessments
- Suspended Sediments and Littoral Benthos
- Sensors
Marine Ecology
- Estuarine Mixing Gradients and Material Transformations
- Salt Marsh Community Structure and Production
General Limnology
- Eutrophication in Midwestern Lakes and Reservoirs
- Spatial Gradients in Reservoir Systems
- Littoral-Pelagic Zone Interactions
Wetland and Lake Littoral Ecosystems
- Plant and Invertebrate Production
- Trophic Structure and Efficiencies
- Biogeochemistry
- Regional Comparisons
- Hydrologic Control
Scholarly Works
Recent Publications
Pahlevan, N., B. Smith, J. Schalles, C. Binding, Z. Cao, R. Ma, K. Alikas, K. Kangro, D. Gurlin, N. Hà, B. Matsushita, W. Moses, S. Greb, M. K. Lehmann, M. Ondrusek, N. Oppelt, and R. Stumpf. 2020. Seamless retrievals of chlorophyll-a from Sentinel-2 (MSI) and Sentinel-3 (OLCI) in inland and coastal waters: A machine-learning approach. Remote Sensing of Environment 111604. DOI:10.1016/j.rse.2019.111604
Spyrakos, E., R. O’Donnell, P. D. Hunter, C. Miller, M. Scott, S. G. H. Simis, C. Neil, C. C. F. Barbosa, C. E. Binding, S. Bradt, M. Bresciani, G. Dall’Olmo, C. Giardino, A. A. Gitelson, T. Kutser, L. Li, B. Matsushita, V. Martinez-Vicente, M. W. Matthews, I. Ogashawara, A. Ruiz-Verdú, J. F. Schalles, E. Tebbs, Y. Zhang, and A. N. Tyler. 2018. Optical types of inland and coastal waters. Limnology and Oceanography 63 2:846-870. DOI:10.1002/lno.10674
Cao, F., D. R. Mishra, J. F. Schalles, and W. L. Miller. 2018. Evaluating ultraviolet (UV) based photochemistry in optically complex coastal waters using the Hyperspectral Imager for the Coastal Ocean (HICO). Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 215:199-206. DOI:10.1016/j.ecss.2018.10.013
O’Donnell, J. P. R., and J. F. Schalles. 2016. Examination of abiotic drivers and their influence on Spartina alterniflora biomass over a twenty-eight year period using Landsat 5 TM satellite imagery of the Central Georgia Coast. Remote Sensing 8 6DOI:10.3390/rs8060477
Hladik, C., J. Schalles, and M. Alber. 2013. Salt marsh elevation and habitat mapping using hyperspectral and LIDAR data. Remote Sensing of Environment 139:318-330. DOI:10.1016/j.rse.2013.08.003
Schalles, J. F., C. M. Hladik, A. A. Lynes, and S. C. Pennings. 2013. Landscape estimates of habitat types, plant biomass, and invertebrate densities in a Georgia salt marsh. Oceanography 26 3:88-97. DOI:10.5670/oceanog.2013.50
Schalles, J. F., and C. M. Hladik. 2012. Mapping phytoplankton chlorophyll in turbid, Case 2 estuarine and coastal waters. Israel Journal of Plant Sciences 60 1-2:169-191. DOI:10.1560/IJPS.60.1-2.169
Bhatti, A. M., D. Rundquist, J. Schalles, M. Steele, and M. Takagi. 2010. Qualitative assessment of inland and coastal waters by using remotely sensed data. International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences - ISPRS Archives 38:415-420.
Wang, H., C. M. Hladik, W. Huang, K. Milla, L. Edmiston, M. A. Harwell, and J. F. Schalles. 2010. Detecting the spatial and temporal variability of chlorophyll-a concentration and total suspended solids in Apalachicola Bay, Florida using MODIS imagery. International Journal of Remote Sensing 31 2:439-453. DOI:10.1080/01431160902893485
Bhattf, A. M., D. Rundquist, J. Schalles, and L. Ramirez. 2010. Application of hyperspectral remotely sensed data for water quality monitoring: Accuracy and limitation. Accuracy 2010 - Proceedings of the 9th International Symposium on Spatial Accuracy Assessment in Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences pp349-352.