Spatio-Temporal Tropical Forest Dynamics from Small-Footprint Lidar Remote Sensing

Maxim Neumann, JPL, maxim.neumann@jpl.nasa.gov (Presenter)
Sassan Saatchi, CALTECH/JPL, sassan.saatchi@jpl.nasa.gov
David B. Clark, La Selva Biological Station, dbclark@sloth.ots.ac.cr

Remote sensing and quantification of spatial and temporal forest dynamics is an

important problem in developing strategies for global monitoring of terrestrial

ecosystems in general, and carbon stocks and changes in particular. In this

study, 3 small-footprint lidar data sets are used to quantify spatio-temporal

forest dynamics over the tropical wet rain forest at the La Selva Biological

Station in Costa Rica. The objectives are to assess the spatial and temporal

variability of forest structure and biomass, based on small-footprint lidar

(sub-meter resolution) campaigns from the years 1997, 2006 and 2009, which are

complemented by ground-field plot measurement campaigns in the same years in the

frame of the Carbono project. The combination of lidar data sets from different

times and using different instruments made the development of calibration

approaches necessary, which are discussed. The spatial variability for

old-growth forest has been observed to be temporally invariable with correlation

lengths at about 10 meters. Over secondary forests, the spatial variability

changed significantly towards more heterogeneity over the time period of 12

years, with correlation lengths reducing from 20 meters towards 11

meters. Similar trends have been observed in forest structure and biomass

change, with minimal net change over old-growths, and significant and well

detectable changes over the secondary forests. The scale dependency is analyzed

and found to be of importance, in particular with relating lidar results to

field measured results. The presented study helps to improve the understanding

of spatio-temporal tropical forest dynamics, to assess the potential of global

remote sensing to measure them, and to design concepts for future space-borne

missions for global terrestrial ecosystems monitoring.

Presentation Type:  Poster

Session:  Other   (Tue 11:30 AM)

Associated Project(s): 

• Saatchi, Sassan: Detecting Changes of Forest Biomass from Fusion of Radar and Lidar: Developing DESDynl measurement requirements ...details

Poster Location ID: 263