Project Funding: 2014 - 2017

NRA: 2012 NASA: Land Cover / Land Use Change   

Funded by NASA

Abstract:
rubber trees, oil palm, teak, eucalyptus, acacia and bamboo have expanded enormously in recent years across the tropical regions, in particular tropical monsoon Asia. Conversion of natural forests with monoculture forest plantations has profound impacts on the water and carbon cycle and biodiversity. The information on the area, spatial distribution and temporal dynamics of industrial forest plantations in tropical monsoon Asia is incomplete and outdated. Here we propose to combine optical (Landsat) and synthetic aperture radar images to identify and map six major industrial forest plantations (rubber, oil palm, teak, acacia, eucalyptus, bamboo) in tropical monsoon Asia. We will focus on four periods: circa 2015 (2015-2011), 2010 (2010 – 2006), 2005 (2005-2001), and 2000 (2000-1996). The overall goal of this proposed project is to quantify the changes of major industrial forest plantations in tropical monsoon Asia from 2000 to 2015 at 30-m spatial resolution and 5- year interval. The specific objectives are the following: 1. Map the area and spatial distribution of industrial forest plantations in tropical monsoon Asia in 2015, using Landsat 8 (OLI) and PALSAR-2 images from 2013-2015, 2. Map the area and spatial distribution of industrial forest plantations in tropical monsoon Asia in 2010, using Landsat 5/7 (TM/ETM+) and PALSAR images in 2006- 2010, 3. Map the area and spatial distribution of industrial forest plantations in tropical monsoon Asia in 2005, using Landsat 5/7 (TM/ETM+) images in 2001-2005, and 4. Map the area and spatial distribution of industrial forest plantations in tropical monsoon Asia in 2000, using Landsat 5/7 (TM/ETM+) and JERS-1 images in 1996-2000. This proposal will primarily focus on “industrial forests” component of this NASA NRA and will identify and map six industrial forest plantations (rubber, oil palm, teak, Eucalyptus, Acacia, bamboo) in tropical monsoon Asia. The in-situ data and resultant maps from this NASA project will provide timely information to support the FAO FRA 2015, REDD+ and food and water projects. Qianlai

2015 NASA Carbon Cycle & Ecosystems Joint Science Workshop Poster(s)

• Mapping paddy rice in northeastern Asia based on Landsat 8 and Google Earth Engine   --   (Jinwei Dong, Xiangming Xiao, Michael Angelo Menarguez, Geli Zhang, Yuanwei Qin)   [abstract]
• Forest cover maps of China in 2010 from multiple approaches and data sources: PALSAR, Landsat, MODIS, FRA, and NFI   --   (Yuanwei QIN, Xiangming Xiao, Jinwei Dong, Geli Zhang, Masanobu Shimada, Jiyuan Liu, Chungan Li, Weili Kou, Berrien Moore III)   [abstract]