Dr. Rango led development of visual and digital methods for extracting snow covered area from a variety of satellite sensors. He conceived and designed the satellite snow cover version of the Snowmelt Runoff Model (SRM) which is used for simulations, forecasts, and climate change evaluations. SRM is currently being adapted to the Rio Grande basin for operational forecasts. Dr. Rango developed the first techniques for analyzing satellite microwave data over large areas and developed a means for estimating snow water equivalent and depth on flat, high prairies and in large mountain basins. He developed a formalized algorithm as part of SRM for evaluating hydrologic response to climate change and has used it to evaluate river basin responses under varying conditions of climate change. He is the principal investigator for the JORNEX project (now a formalized part of the Jornada Basin LTER) and in that role directs the field experiments, integrates the various data being collected, and coordinates the joint cooperative investigations under the JORNEX umbrella. JORNEX, which was started in 1995, is the longest-running remote sensing experiment with data collected at least twice a year, before and after the monsoon season. Dr. Rango has assembled historic research records along with historic aerial photography of rangeland remediation treatments in the Jornada Basin to assess their effects on rangeland condition and ecosystem stability. He has developed hyperspatial remote sensing capabilities (<6 cm resolution) using simple digital cameras mounted on autonomous Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) for use in rangeland health determinations.