Objective indicators of pasture degradation from spectral mixture analysis of Landsat imagery

Author Posting. © American Geophysical Union, 2008. This article is posted here by permission of American Geophysical Union for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Journal of Geophysical Research 113 (2008): G00B03, doi:10.1029/2007JG000622.Degradation of cattle pastures is a management concern that influences future land use in Amazonia. However, “degradation” is poorly defined and has different meanings for ranchers, ecologists, and policy makers. Here we analyze pasture degradation using objective scalars of photosynthetic vegetation (PV), nonphotosynthetic vegetation (NPV), and exposed soil (S) derived from Landsat imagery. A general, probabilistic spectral mixture model decomposed satellite spectral reflectance measurements into subpixel estimates of PV, NPV, and S covers at ranches in western and eastern Amazonia. Most pasture management units at all ranches fell along a single line of decreasing PV with increasing NPV and S, which could be considered a degradation continuum. The ranch with the highest stocking densities and most intensive management had greater NPV and S than a less intensively managed ranch. The number of liming, herbiciding, and disking treatments applied to each pasture management unit was positively correlated with NPV and negatively correlated with PV. Although these objective scalars revealed signs of degradation, intensive management kept exposed soil to <40% cover and maintained economically viable cattle production over several decades. In ranches with few management inputs, the high PV cover in young pastures declined with increasing pasture age, while NPV and S increased, even where grazing intensity was low. Both highly productive pastures and vigorous regrowth of native vegetation cause high PV values. Analysis of spectral properties holds promise for identifying areas where grazing intensity has exceeded management inputs, thus increasing coverage of senescent foliage and exposed soil.This research was supported by grant NNG06GE88A of NASA’s Terrestrial Ecology Program as part of the Large-scale Biosphere-Atmosphere Experiment in Amazonia (LBA) project

Relationships of S-Band Radar Backscatter and Forest Aboveground Biomass in Different Forest Types

Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) signals respond to the interactions of microwaves with vegetation canopy scatterers that collectively characterise forest structure. The sensitivity of S-band (7.5–15 cm) backscatter to the different forest types (broadleaved, needleleaved) with varying aboveground biomass (AGB) across temperate (mixed, needleleaved) and tropical (broadleaved, woody savanna, secondary) forests is less well understood. In this study, Michigan Microwave Canopy Scattering (MIMICS-I) radiative transfer model simulations showed strong volume scattering returns from S-band SAR for broadleaved canopies caused by ground/trunk interactions. A general relationship between AirSAR S-band measurements and MIMICS-I simulated radar backscatter with forest AGB up to nearly 100 t/ha in broadleaved forest in the UK was found. Simulated S-band backscatter-biomass relationships suggest increasing backscatter sensitivity to forest biomass with a saturation level close to 100 t/ha and errors between 37 t/ha and 44 t/ha for HV and VV polarisations for tropical ecosystems. In the near future, satellite SAR-derived forest biomass from P-band BIOMASS mission and L-band ALOS-2 PALSAR-2 in combination with S-band UK NovaSAR-S and the joint NASA-ISRO NISAR sensors will provide better quantification of large-scale forest AGB at varying sensitivity levels across primary and secondary forests and woody savannas

Unfolding long-term Late Pleistocene–Holocene disturbances of forest communities in the southwestern Amazonian lowlands

Linking the distribution of plant species to geology has generally been biased by the over-simplification of landscape evolution and the lack of understanding of complex geological processes. The Amazonian lowlands have forests in different successional stages, and a growing perception is that such heterogeneity results from long-term environmental changes. This hypothesis is investigated by designing an analytical model based on past and present-day vegetation and successions of the plant communities, combined with an advanced understanding of geological history. An area of southwestern Amazonia was selected for floristic inventories, and we interpreted the paleovegetation based on C/N and δ13C analyses of sedimentary organic matter. These data were examined in the context of the geological evolution on the basis of new sedimentological and chronological data. The topographically high Late Pleistocene deposits had continuous and highly diversified late-successional terra firme forests as well as local fluvial paleolandforms of younger ages with less diversified campinarana forests. Late Pleistocene–Holocene terrains in intermediate elevations had terra firme forests, but shorter trees with lower basal areas and ecotonal forests appeared near the confines of the forest–savanna, while Holocene deposits recorded only seasonally flooded varzea forests. Several deposits of Late Pleistocene and Late Pleistocene–Holocene age recorded an expansion of C4 terrestrial plants before the establishment of the forest from ~20,000 cal yr BP to 7578 cal yr BP, which is not related to past arid episodes. We recorded forests with onsets at 6130–3533 cal yr BP, 3402–2800 cal yr BP, and 1624–964 cal yr BP to terra firme, varzea, and ecotonal forests, respectively. However, not all forests have reached maturity stages due to their location on terrains with a diverse history of terrace downcutting and deposition, which had a direct impact on local hydrology with the interaction of topographic gradients. The hydrology of the study area was also controlled by the distance from the main river valley. Capturing long-term disturbances over this region of still pristine forests may help elucidate the potential mechanisms that also determine trends in tree growth and forest diversity in other Neotropical regions. © 2018 The Authors

Legacy of Amazonian Dark Earth soils on forest structure and species composition

This is the final version. Available from the publisher via the DOI in this record.Aim: Amazonian forests predominantly grow on highly weathered and nutrient poor soils. Anthropogenically enriched Amazonian Dark Earths (ADE), traditionally known as Terra Preta de Índio, were formed by pre-Columbian populations. ADE soils are characterized by increased fertility and have continued to be exploited following European colonization. Here, we evaluated the legacy of land-use and soil enrichment on the composition and structure in ADE and non-ADE (NDE) forests. Location: Eastern and southern Amazonia. Time period: Pre-Columbia – 2014. Methods: We sampled nine pairs of ADE and adjacent NDE forest plots in eastern and southern Amazonia. In each plot, we collected soil samples at 0–10 and 10–20 cm depth and measured stem diameter, height, and identified all individual woody plants (palms, trees and lianas) with diameter ≥ 10 cm. We compared soil physicochemical properties, vegetation diversity, floristic composition, aboveground biomass, and percentage of useful species. Results: In the nine paired plots, soil fertility was significantly higher in ADE soil. We sampled 4,191 individual woody plants representing 404 species and 65 families. The floristic composition of ADE and NDE forests differed significantly at both local and regional levels. In southern Amazonia, ADE forests had, on average, higher aboveground biomass than other forests of the region, while in eastern Amazonia, biomass was similar to that of NDE forests. Species richness of both forest types did not differ and was within the range of existing regional studies. The differences in composition between large and small diameter tree recruits may indicate long-term recovery and residual effects from historical land-use. Additionally, the proportion of edible species tended to be higher in the ADE forests of eastern and southern Amazonia. Main conclusions: The marked differences in soil fertility, floristic composition and aboveground biomass between ADE and NDE forests are consistent with a small-scale long-term land-use legacy and a regional increase in tree diversity

Deforestation and Carbon Stock Loss in Brazil’s Amazonian Settlements

We estimate deforestation and the carbon stock in 2740 (82 %) of the 3325 settlements in Brazil’s Legal Amazonia region. Estimates are made both using available satellite data and a carbon map for the “pre-modern” period (prior to 1970). We used data from Brazil’s Project for Monitoring Deforestation in Amazonia updated through 2013 and from the Brazilian Biomes Deforestation Monitoring Project (PMDBBS) updated through 2010. To obtain the pre-modern and recent carbon stocks we performed an intersection between a carbon map and a map derived from settlement boundaries and deforestation data. Although the settlements analyzed occupied only 8 % of Legal Amazonia, our results indicate that these settlements contributed 17 % (160,410 km2) of total clearing (forest + non-forest) in Legal Amazonia (967,003 km2). This represents a clear-cutting of 41 % of the original vegetation in the settlements. Out of this total, 72 % (115,634 km2) was in the “Federal Settlement Project” (PA) category. Deforestation in settlements represents 20 % (2.6 Pg C) of the total carbon loss in Legal Amazonia (13.1 Pg C). The carbon stock in remaining vegetation represents 3.8 Pg C, or 6 % of the total remaining carbon stock in Legal Amazonia (58.6 Pg C) in the periods analyzed. The carbon reductions in settlements are caused both by the settlers and by external actors. Our findings suggest that agrarian reform policies contributed directly to carbon loss. Thus, the implementation of new settlements should consider potential carbon stock losses, especially if settlements are created in areas with high carbon stocks. © 2016, The Author(s)