WEBVTT
Kind: captions
Language: en

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A large outbreak of gypsy
moth caterpillars attacked

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the hardwood forests of
the northeastern

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United States in 2016.

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A fungus introduced from
Japan had kept gypsy moth

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populations at low levels
since the late 80s.

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But low rainfall in 2014,
15, and 16 resulted

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in the worst outbreak
in over 30 years.

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While the caterpillars
thrived in the drought

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conditions, this spring's
rainfall made the fungus

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effective again.
But the moth mortality

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peaked at the END of the
larval stages, after the

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caterpillars had already
caused most of the damage.

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Valerie Pasquarella, a
Postdoctoral Research

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Associate at the University
of Massachusetts Amherst,

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is using Landsat data to
track the spread of the

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outbreak by comparing new
Landsat observations with

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long-term average conditions.
In these season-integrate

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maps, blue indicates normal
forest conditions, while

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yellow, orange, and red show
decreases in vegetation greenness.

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Landsat has not typically
been used to monitor insect

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outbreaks, but new tools and
open access to Landsat data

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make it possible to quantify
over a large area at a level

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of detail that doesn’t work
with aerial surveys alone.