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Using SRTM and PALSAR data to Study the Geomorphology and Evolution of the Amazon Basin and the Brazilian Atlantic Forest
Jessica
Rosenqvist, City College of New York, jessica.rosenqvist@gmail.com
(Presenter)
Kyle
C
McDonald, City College of New York, kmcdonald2@ccny.cuny.edu
Marzieh
Azarderakhsh, City College of New York, mazarderakhsh@gmail.com
Kenneth
E
Campbell, LA County Museum of Natural History, kcampbell@nhm.org
Joel
L
Cracraft, American Museum of Natural History, jlc@amnh.org
Ana
Carnaval, City College of New York, acarnaval@ccny.cuny.edu
Amazonia and the Atlantic Forest (AF) are Neotropical forests known for their high levels of diversity and percentage of endemic species – yet are still tremendously understudied. Both embrace numerous ecologically diverse forest types associated with specific levels of rainfall, elevation, and soil type, rendering a wide range of environmental parameters. We are employing NASA’s Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) and the Phased Array L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (PALSAR) datasets to examine surface structure and topographic features to explore the radars’ utility for assessing geomorphology in the AF and the Amazon. Improved knowledge of this region’s topography will be central to the identification of underlying causes for common patterns of species distributions in these biomes. SRTM, flown in 2000 to map Earth’s topography, collected data between N60o latitude and S56o latitude and covered approximately 80% of the Earth’s land surface over 11 days. The SRTM digital elevation models (DEMs) are available at two resolutions: 3 arc second (90m) and 1 arc second (30m). Derived from C-band interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), these datasets can elucidate patterns in the complex landscapes of the AF and the Amazon associated with variations in topography and vegetation structure as well as the underlying geomorphology. PALSAR flew on board the Japanese Space Agency’s (JAXA) ALOS satellite, operating from 2006-2011. It provided a treasure trove of imagery for many of Earth’s critical ecosystems. PALSAR collections over South America include a variety of fine-beam dual polarization (HH, HV) images suitable for mapping land cover structure, as well as ScanSAR HH-polarized multi-temporal observation suitable for characterizing land surface hydrodynamics. Combining the 30m SRTM tiled DEMs with backscatter images from PALSAR, we examine features within subregions of our study domain that may provide important information on processes that gave rise to the formation of the current day ecosystems and species distribution patterns.
Portions of this work were carried out within the framework of the JAXA Kyoto and Carbon Initiative. PALSAR data have been provided by JAXA EORC and the Alaska Satellite Facility. This work was carried out under a grant from the NASA Biodiversity Program and the NSF DIMENSIONS of Biodiversity Program.
Presentation Type: Poster
Session: Theme 1: Tracking habitat change through new integrative approaches and products
(Mon 1:30 PM)
Associated Project(s):
- McDonald, Kyle: Vegetation Phenology Assessment Using Satellite Radar Remote Sensing: Global Monitoring of Daily and Seasonal Changes in Canopy Structure and Water Status ...details
Poster Location ID: 50
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