“If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research.” — Albert Einstein

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

Department of Biology
Creighton University
2500 California Plaza
Omaha, NE 68178-0103
Office: Hixson-Lied 437
Lab: Rigge Science 508
402-280-2155
402-280-3858
JohnSchalles@creighton.edu

Courses Offered

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.