Project Funding: 2010 - 2013

NRA: 2009 NASA: Terrestrial Ecology   

Funded by NASA

Abstract:
Current ecosystem carbon exchange models are limited by a lack of quantitative information on the spatial and temporal variability of photosynthesis, a critically important physiological and ecological function. The proposed research will establish a robust approach in the use of spectral reflectance to detect vegetation physiological status, and will examine how structural properties of canopies affect the ecosystem responses to stress and their associated reflected signals. We previously found that two of the primary factors that influence the full canopy photosynthetic efficiency are: i) protective responses to environmental stresses, with associated spectral responses that differ for sunlit vs. shaded foliage; and ii) the canopy structure, which influences the sunlit and shaded foliage fractions. We have also demonstrated that the diurnal and seasonal variability in photosynthetic efficiency can be successfully tracked with spectral indicators, without having to acquire extensive ground based information, and that MODIS look-up table fixed biome-scale values misrepresent (over- or under-estimate) efficiencies for the ecosystems we examined. In this successor proposal to the previous terrestrial ecosystem-related study, we will use field data to develop and test models of leaf and canopy level radiative transfer, photosynthesis, and spectral reflectance. From our combined in-situ information of forests and a cornfield (including structural, flux, and micro-meteorological data) and remote sensing (spectral, structural) data, we will determine how the carbon uptake/efficiency is affected by the partitioning of the canopy into sunlit and shaded foliage fractions, as expressed with chlorophyll-related spectral indices and the Photochemical Reflectance Index (PRI). We will verify that the daily and seasonal changes in the sunlit and shaded forest fractions constitute an important ecological factor in carbon balance that affect the GEP as determined for the whole ecosystem. We will extend our investigation of carbon uptake/efficiency for selected ecosystems through models for several IPCC future climate scenarios. This research will support future missions (e.g., HyspIRI) by providing optimal remote sensing strategies and a critical modeling tool for monitoring ecosystem stress (i.e., down-regulation of GEP) and a better understanding of the role of canopy structure in defining ecosystem carbon uptake.

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

• Hyperspectral Data as a Tool for Assessment of Temporal Changes in Norway Spruce Forest Conditions in a Historically Heavily Polluted Mountainous Region of Czech Republic Affected by Long-Term Acidic Deposition   --   (Jana Albrechtova, Zuzana Lhotakova, Jan Misurec, Veronica Kopackova, Petya Krasteva Entcheva Campbell, Magda Edwards-Jonášová, Lucie Kupková, Lucie Červená, Markéta Potůčková, Pavel Cudlín)   [abstract]   [poster]
• Ecophysiological implications of projected changes in climate in the 21st century: variability in vegetation water use efficiency and productivity in a CMIP5 multimodel ensemble   --   (Sergio Bernardes, Elizabeth M. Middleton, Petya Krasteva Entcheva Campbell, Karl Fred Huemmrich, Qingyuan Zhang, Lawrence A Corp, David Landis)   [abstract]
• Application of Airborne Remote Sensing to Define Terrestrial Ecosystem Form & Function   --   (Lawrence A Corp, Bruce Cook, Elizabeth M. Middleton)   [abstract]
• Using MODIS-Derived Vegetation Indices to Infer Ecosystem Productivity   --   (Karl Fred Huemmrich, David Landis, John Gamon, Elizabeth M. Middleton)   [abstract]
• EO-1 Hyperion spectral time series for remote sensing of vegetation function and carbon flux dynamics   --   (Petya Krasteva Entcheva Campbell, Elizabeth M. Middleton, Karl Fred Huemmrich, Sergio Bernardes, Qingyuan Zhang, Lawrence Ong)   [abstract]   [poster]

2013 NASA Terrestrial Ecology Science Team Meeting Poster(s)

• Modeling gross primary production in a cornfield using solar induced fluorescence and the photochemical reflectance index   --   (Yen-Ben Cheng, Elizabeth M. Middleton, Qingyuan Zhang, Lawrence A Corp, Petya Krasteva Entcheva Campbell, Karl Fred Huemmrich, Bruce Cook, William Kustas)   [abstract]

2011 NASA Carbon Cycle & Ecosystems Joint Science Workshop Poster(s)

• Spectral Bio-indicator Simulations for Tracking Photosynthetic Activities in a Corn Field   --   (Yen-Ben Cheng, Elizabeth M. Middleton, Karl Fred Huemmrich, Qingyuan Zhang, Lawrence A Corp, Petya Krasteva Entcheva Campbell, William Kustas)   [abstract]
• Remote Sensing to Estimate Ecosystem GEE using Chlorophyll Level fAPAR (fAPARchl) and PRI   --   (Qingyuan Zhang, Elizabeth M. Middleton, Yen-Ben Cheng, Bo-Cai Gao, Karl Fred Huemmrich, Petya Krasteva Entcheva Campbell, Lawrence A Corp, Alexei Lyapustin, Yujie Wang, Andrew L Russ, William P Kustas, John H Prueger)   [abstract]
• Arctic tundra vegetation functional types based on photosynthetic physiology and optical properties   --   (Karl Fred Huemmrich)   [abstract]
• EO-1 Hyperion capturing seasonal dynamics in vegetation phenology and spectral properties, associated with CO2 uptake in three different ecosystems   --   (Petya Krasteva Entcheva Campbell, Elizabeth M. Middleton, Karl Fred Huemmrich)   [abstract]   [poster]

2010 NASA Terrestrial Ecology Science Team Meeting Poster(s)

• Temporal Dynamics for Spectral Bio-Indicators and Photosynthetic Activities in a Cornfield   --   (Elizabeth Middleton, Yen-Ben Cheng, Lawrence Corp, Karl F. Huemmrich, Petya Campbell, Qingyuan Zhang, William Kustas, Andrew Russ)   [abstract]   [poster]

More details may be found in the following project profile(s):

• NASA Terrestrial Ecology (TE) Project Profile