Abdi, Abdulhakim

I am a PhD student interested in the study of coupled human and natural systems through the interdisciplinary study of geo-ecological and socio-economic systems, particularly human impact on the carbon cycle and primary productivity. I am also interested in the remote sensing of terrestrial ecosystems to assess the impacts of anthropogenic processes (deforestation, agriculture, urbanization etc.) on species and their habitats; particularly the application of land-use/land-cover analyses, species distribution models, and climate scenarios.

My PhD project is on the remote sensing of net primary production (NPP) in the semi-arid Sahel region of Africa. The overall objective is to identify vulnerable areas where the per capital demand for NPP approaches or exceeds the supply of NPP. 

NPP an important variable in the terrestrial biosphere because it is an indicator of incoming energy to the biosphere and a measure of terrestrial carbon dioxide assimilation. Hence it represents the fundamental source of energy for all organisms in an ecosystem and is a driver of the most essential of ecosystem services necessary for human welfare (HANPP, discussed on my website).