5 research outputs found
Global satellite monitoring of climate-induced vegetation disturbances
Terrestrial disturbances are accelerating globally, but their full impact is not quantified because we lack an adequate monitoring system. Remote sensing offers a means to quantify the frequency and extent of disturbances globally. Here, we review the current application of remote sensing to this problem and offer a framework for more systematic analysis in the future. We recommend that any proposed monitoring system should not only detect disturbances, but also be able to: identify the proximate cause(s); integrate a range of spatial scales; and, ideally, incorporate process models to explain the observed patterns and predicted trends in the future. Significant remaining challenges are tied to the ecology of disturbances. To meet these challenges, more effort is required to incorporate ecological principles and understanding into the assessments of disturbance worldwide
Windthrows Inventory Data Base (WInD) v1
<p>In total 1403 windthrow swere identified, of which 1343 were processed, identified, and Classify.</p>
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Turbulence regimes in the nocturnal roughness sublayer: Interaction with deep convection and tree mortality in the Amazon
We investigated the influence of seasonality and proximity to the forest canopy on nocturnal turbulence regimes in the roughness sublayer of a Central Amazon forest. Since convective systems of different scales are common in this region, we also analyzed the effect of extreme wind gusts (propagated from convective downdrafts) on the organization of the turbulence regimes, and their potential to cause the mortality of canopy trees. Our data include high-frequency winds, temperature and ozone concentration at different heights during the dry and wet seasons of 2014. In addition, we used critical wind-speed data derived from a tree-winching experiment and a modeling study conducted in the same study site. Two different turbulence regimes were identified at three heights above the canopy: a weakly stable (WS) and a very stable regime (VS). The threshold wind speeds that mark the transition between turbulence regimes were larger during the dry season and increased as a function of the height above the canopy. The turbulent fluxes of sensible heat and momentum during the WS accounted for 88% of the entire nighttime flux. Downdrafts occurred only in the WS and favored a fully coupled state of wind flow along the canopy profile. The destructive potential of winds was four times higher than on nights without downdrafts
Global satellite monitoring of climate-induced vegetation disturbances
Climatically driven terrestrial disturbances such as drought, biotic agents, wind, and
wildfire are suspected to be accelerating in size and severity globally. Many disturbances and
their impacts go un-quantified, however, due to the lack of a comprehensive monitoring system
that can detect, attribute, determine causation, and establish consequences of disturbances.
Remote sensing has experienced rapid evolution over recent years and now offers enormous
potential for nearly continuous, wall-to-wall observation and interpretation of disturbances and
their drivers. Here we review the state of optical remote sensing in disturbance ecology, develop
a framework for a global disturbance monitoring system, and provide evidence to support the
framework. We make three broad conclusions regarding this idealized global disturbance
monitoring system: (i) it should accurately detect disturbances and identify their proximal
cause(s), and should be compatible with end-product objectives such as assessments of
ecosystem resources or climate forcing; (ii) this system is now largely challenged by integrating
global scale data with fine-scale monitoring; and (iii) a successful monitoring system can support
representation of ecosystem disturbances and successional processes in Earth system models.
The significant remaining challenges are tied to the ecology, extent, and grain of the disturbances
because they directly affect our remotely sensed observations. An ecological perspective of
remote sensing is therefore vital to continue rapid development of terrestrial disturbance
monitoring.JRC.H.3-Forest Resources and Climat
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Global satellite monitoring of climate-induced vegetation disturbances.
Terrestrial disturbances are accelerating globally, but their full impact is not quantified because we lack an adequate monitoring system. Remote sensing offers a means to quantify the frequency and extent of disturbances globally. Here, we review the current application of remote sensing to this problem and offer a framework for more systematic analysis in the future. We recommend that any proposed monitoring system should not only detect disturbances, but also be able to: identify the proximate cause(s); integrate a range of spatial scales; and, ideally, incorporate process models to explain the observed patterns and predicted trends in the future. Significant remaining challenges are tied to the ecology of disturbances. To meet these challenges, more effort is required to incorporate ecological principles and understanding into the assessments of disturbance worldwide