Portrait of Leanne Lestak
GIS/Remote Sensing Specialist • Senior Professional Research Associate •
• Snow hydrology • Coastal change • Flooding
leanne.lestak@colorado.edu
303 492-5802

Prounouns: she/hers

Mountain Hydrology Group

Bio

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Remote Sensing as applied to western water, snow hydrology, coastal change, and the creation and distribution of high resolution scientific data.

I implement and communicate research in primarily arctic and alpine regions using GIS and remote sensing tools. In my 30+ year career at the university I have worked with scientists and stakeholders on numerous multidisciplinary projects including work with the Department of Water Resources in California, the Barrow Alaska community, the National Park Service, irrigators and water managers in the Upper Great Plains Ogallala Aquifer, the Long Term Ecological Network (LTER), and many others. In my work I listen to the needs of the people I am working with (i.e. scientists, stakeholders, students) to better formulate a cohesive solution, which includes accessible and open-source data, maps, publications and graphics. I am committed to designing for and educating myself about inclusion, justice, and equity inside each and every project and product I deliver.

My specialties are Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Remote Sensing as applied to western water, snow hydrology, coastal change, and the creation and distribution of high resolution scientific data.

Research

Groups, programs, and projects

  • Mountain Hydrology Group
  • Quaternary GIS Laboratory
  • Niwot Ridge Long-Term Ecological Research
  • Snowpack and Ecosystem Dynamics: The Sustainability of Inter-basin Water Transfers under a Changing Climate

Teaching

  • PSCI 5108 & ATOC 7500: Context & Climate Change Taught one lecture about coastal change.
  • GEOL 5240: Remote Sensing Data Analysis Assisted students with lab work, wrote a few labs.
  • GEOL 4093/5093: Remote Sensing of the Environment Taught one lecture about GIS
  • Arctic Network National Parks Service Hands-On Orthoimagery Workshop
  • WAS*IS Australia Workshop Wrote and taught GIS labs
  • GIS Applications Courses, Barrow High School Taught 3 lectures
  • GIS and Computer Cartography Wild Bear Science School, one half day
  • Remote Sensing course for Teachers One day course

Data citations

Leanne Lestak, William F. Manley, 2012: High-resolution orthorectified imagery for archaeological study at Glacier National Park, Montana. INSTAAR, University of Colorado at Boulder (digital media).

Noah P. Molotch, Leanne Lestak, 2011: Judd snow depth sensor measurements for the Boulder Creek Critical Zone Observatory (CZO) and Niwot Long Term Ecological Research Program (LTER), for water year 2011. INSTAAR, University of Colorado at Boulder (digital media).

Noah P. Molotch, Leanne Lestak, 2010: Judd snow depth sensor measurements for the Boulder Creek Critical Zone Observatory (CZO) and Niwot Long Term Ecological Research Program (LTER), for water year 2010. INSTAAR, University of Colorado at Boulder (digital media).

Noah P. Molotch, Guan, B., Leanne Lestak, 2010: Snow water equivalent (SWE) for water supply and management in California. Jet Propulsion Laboratory and INSTAAR, University of Colorado at Boulder (digital media).

William F. Manley, Eric Parrish, Leanne Lestak, 2009: High-resolution orthorectified imagery and digital elevation models for study of environmental change at Niwot Ridge and Green Lakes Valley, Colorado: Niwot Ridge LTER. INSTAAR, University of Colorado at Boulder [digital media].

Leanne Lestak, Lynch, A. H., Bao, S., Cassano, E. N., William F. Manley, Maslanik, J. A., Peng, M., Xie, L., 2008: Flood model output, bathymetry, topography and related GIS layers for Barrow, Alaska. Boulder, Colorado: Cooperative Center for Research in the Environmental Sciences (Digital media).

Leanne Lestak, Eric Parrish, William F. Manley, Brown, J., 2008: High-resolution orthorectified aerial photography of the Barrow Spit, Alaska. Boulder, Colorado: Version 2. (Digital media.)

William F. Manley, Leanne Lestak, Eric Parrish, 2008: High-resolution orthorectified imagery from 1993 for three target areas in Lake Clark National Park and Preserve (LACL), Southwest Alaska. Anchorage: National Park Service, Southwest Alaska Network I&M Program. (Digital media.)

William F. Manley, Sanzone, D. M., Leanne Lestak, Eric Parrish, 2007: High-resolution orthorectified imagery and accessory layers from ca. 1950s, ca. 1980s and 2003 for the coastal areas of Bering Land Bridge NP (BELA) and Cape Krusenstern NM (CAKR), northwest Alaska. Fairbanks, AK: National Park Service, Arctic Network I&M Program (Digital media).

Leanne Lestak, William F. Manley, Sturtevant, P. M., Maslanik, J. A., Tweedie, C. E., Brown, J., 2007: High-resolution rectified aerial photography for collaborative research of environmental change at Barrow, Alaska, USA. Boulder, Colorado: National Snow and Ice Data Center (Digital media).

William F. Manley, Leanne Lestak, Tweedie, C. E., Maslanik, J. A., 2006: High-resolution Quickbird imagery and value-added geospatial layers for collaborative research of environmental change at Barrow, Alaska. Boulder, Colorado: National Snow and Ice Data Center (Digital media).

William F. Manley, Leanne Lestak, Tweedie, C. E., Maslanik, J. A., 2005: High-resolution radar imagery, digital elevation models, and related GIS layers for Barrow, Alaska. Boulder, Colorado: National Snow and Ice Data Center (Digital media).

Leanne Lestak, William F. Manley, Maslanik, J. A., 2003: Point Barrow and vicinity: Bathymetry, coastline and depth soundings. Boulder, Colorado: National Snow and Ice Data Center (Digital media).

Leanne Lestak, Auerbach, N. A., William F. Manley, 2002: Interactive web map server for Barrow and the North Slope of Alaska. Boulder, Colorado: National Snow and Ice Data Center. Digital media.

Publications

Extreme Runoff Generation From Atmospheric River Driven Snowmelt During the 2017 Oroville Dam Spillways Incident

CU Boulder Authors: Molotch, Noah Paul; Musselman, Keith N; Lestak, Leanne
All Authors: Henn B; Musselman KN; Lestak L; Ralph FM; Molotch NP
Published in: Geophysical Research Letters
Publication Date: 2020-07-28
Type: Journal Article

On the use of a snow aridity index to predict remotely sensed forest productivity in the presence of bark beetle disturbance

CU Boulder Authors: Lestak, Leanne; Molotch, Noah Paul
All Authors: Knowles JF; Lestak LR; Molotch NP
Published in: Water Resources Research
Publication Date: 2017-06-01
Type: Journal Article

Narratives of Shoreline Erosion and Protection at Shishmaref, Alaska: The Anecdotal and the Analytical

CU Boulder Authors: Lestak, Leanne; Mason, Owen Kenneth
All Authors: Mason OK; Jordan JW; Lestak L; Manley WF
Publication Date: 2012-01-01
Type: Chapter

A factorial analysis of storm surge flooding in Barrow, Alaska

CU Boulder Authors: Lestak, Leanne; Cassano, Elizabeth Noel
All Authors: Lynch AH; Lestak LR; Uotila P; Cassano EN; Xie L
Published in: Monthly Weather Review
Publication Date: 2008-03-01
Type: Journal Article

An Arctic disaster and its policy implications

CU Boulder Authors: Cassano, Elizabeth Noel; Lestak, Leanne
All Authors: Brunner RD; Lynch AH; Pardikes JC; Cassano EN; Lestak LR; Vogel JM
Published in: Arctic
Publication Date: 2004-12-01
Type: Journal Article

Case studies of high wind events in Barrow, Alaska: Climatological context and development processes

CU Boulder Authors: Cassano, John J.; Cassano, Elizabeth Noel; Lestak, Leanne
All Authors: Lynch AH; Cassano EN; Cassano JJ; Lestak LR
Published in: Monthly Weather Review
Publication Date: 2003-04-01
Type: Journal Article

Pages