A canopy level investigation of specific leaf area spectral responses from sagebrush shrublands in Reynolds Creek Experimental Watershed, Idaho, USA

Jessica J Mitchell, Appalachian State University, mitchelljj@appstate.edu (Presenter)
Nancy F Glenn, Boise State University, nancyglenn@boisestate.edu
Hamid Dashti, Boise State University, ahangar.hamid@gmail.com
Alejandro Flores, Boise State University, lejoflores@boisestate.edu
Lucas Spaete, Boise State University, lucasspaeate@boisestate.edu
Nayani Ilangakoon, Boise State University, nayaniilangakoon@u.boisestate.edu

The ratio of leaf area to dry leaf weight, specific leaf area (SLA), and its inverse, leaf mass per area (LMA), are equivalent to leaf dry matter content and have been used to upscale sagebrush structural and chemical estimates such as leaf area index (LAI) and foliar Nitrogen content. While spectral responses to LMA have been tested for a range of species, including sagebrush, at the leaf scale (both fresh and dried, ground material), potential for predicting sagebrush LMA from hyperspectral imagery remains speculative. In this study, AVIRIS-NG flightlines collected over Reynolds Creek Experimental Watershed (RCEW) in Idaho, USA are combined with field measurements of SLA to determine the extent to which noise from sources such as atmospheric water absorption, litter, woody biomass and bright soil degrade prediction results. Partial least squares regression (PLSR) is used to identify influential wavelengths and quantify prediction strength and uncertainty. The SLA/AVIRS-NG dataset is being expanded to include three additional sites in the Great Basin so that interspecific variation can be considered across an ecological gradient. Lf successful, SLA remote sensing products can be combined with full waveform lidar and used to generate Nitrogen and LAI inputs for the Ecosystem Demographic Model (ED2).

Presentation: 2015_Poster_Mitchell_31_223.pdf (1925k)

Presentation Type:  Poster

Session:  Theme 1: Tracking habitat change through new integrative approaches and products   (Mon 1:30 PM)

Associated Project(s): 

• Glenn, Nancy: Scalable vegetation structure for ecosystem modeling in the western US ...details

Poster Location ID: 31