Rocio Hernandez-Clemente

Dr. Rocio Hernandez-Clemente is an Honorary Senior Lecturer in the Geography Department at Swansea University, within the School of Biosciences, Geography and Physics under the Faculty of Science and Engineering. Her research focuses on advancing remote sensing techniques for monitoring forest health, vegetation dynamics, and environmental changes. She specializes in applications of hyperspectral and thermal imagery, radiative transfer modeling, and satellite data analysis to detect stress, diseases, and ecological thresholds in forest ecosystems. Dr. Hernandez-Clemente collaborates on projects addressing global challenges such as climate impacts, pathogen-induced decline, and biodiversity conservation.

Her work integrates interdisciplinary approaches, combining field data with advanced imaging technologies to improve early detection of vegetation health issues and ecosystem resilience. Key areas include detecting infections like Xylella fastidiosa in olive orchards, analyzing boreal forest photosynthesis dynamics, and modeling chlorophyll content using Sentinel-2A and hyperspectral sensors. She also explores aridity-driven ecosystem thresholds and global soil multifunctionality in drylands using satellite and field data.

Dr. Hernandez-Clemente’s research has been published in prestigious journals such as Nature Communications, Remote Sensing of Environment, and Science, reflecting her contributions to environmental and ecological remote sensing. Her projects often involve international collaborations and practical applications in forest management, agriculture, and climate science.