Seif, Amy

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University of New HampshireUniversity of New Hampshire Scholars' RepositoryMedia Relations Administrative Offices2-21-2002An Advancement in Remote Sensing Sheds Lighton the Relationship between Air Pollution andForest HealthAmy SeifFollow this and additional works at: https://scholars.unh.edu/newsThis News Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Administrative Offices at University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. It hasbeen accepted for inclusion in Media Relations by an authorized administrator of University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. For moreinformation, please contact nicole.hentz@unh.edu.Recommended CitationSeif, Amy, "An Advancement in Remote Sensing Sheds Light on the Relationship between Air Pollution and Forest Health" (2002).UNH Today. 2133.https://scholars.unh.edu/news/213310/20/17, 11(22 AMAn Advancement in Remote Sensing Sheds Light on the Relationship between Air Pollution and Forest HealthPage 1 of 3http://www.unh.edu/delete/news/news_releases/2002/february/as_20020222sensing.htmlUNHInstitutefor theStudy ofEarth,Oceans,and Space An Advancement in RemoteSensing Sheds Light on theRelationship between Air Pollutionand Forest HealthBy Amy Seif Communication and Information Coordinator Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans, and Space 603-862-5369February 21, 2002DURHAM, N.H. -- From an airplane flying at 70,000feet, so high that the pilot is technically considered anastronaut, a new adaptation to a remote sensinginstrument enables scientists to better study the capacityof forests to suck in excess air pollutants and carbondioxide from the atmosphere. A paper authored byUniversity of New Hampshire researchers andpublished in the February issue of Ecology, the leadingjournal in the field, documents the advancements thatthis new adaptation brings to understanding foresthealth."Traditional remote sensing instruments are good atseeing different land cover types, but it is extremelydifficult to use these instruments to see detailedecological properties," explains Scott Ollinger, researchassistant professor at UNH and lead author. "However,we are using a fairly advanced remote sensinginstrument, called AVIRIS (Airborne Visible andInfraRed Imaging Spectrometer), that enables us to seemuch more detail. For example, rather than justidentifying that the forest is a deciduous forest, we cannow identify the nitrogen concentration in the forestfoliage." The ability to estimate nitrogen in soils helpsscientists unravel the complex ways in which humanshave altered the environment. Historically, disturbancessuch as logging have had a nitrogen-depleting effect.More recently, says Ollinger, increases in atmosphericnitrogen pollution from industry and automobiles havecontributed to acid rain and lead to problems of streamacidification and water pollution.10/20/17, 11(22 AMAn Advancement in Remote Sensing Sheds Light on the Relationship between Air Pollution and Forest HealthPage 2 of 3http://www.unh.edu/delete/news/news_releases/2002/february/as_20020222sensing.html Data on nitrogen can also provide rich information oncarbon because both nutrients are essential for plantgrowth and are therefore intimately connected. Theamount of carbon a forest can absorb is importantinformation in the debate over whether forests canprovide an effective sink for excess carbon dioxide andslow global warming.Ollinger and other co-authors, including Mary Martinand John Aber at the University's Institute for the Studyof Earth, Oceans, and Space and professors of naturalresources, and Marie-Louise Smith and Rich Hallett atthe U.S. Forest Service, were the first to develop the useof AVIRIS for measuring nitrogen in plant leaves andsoil. The spectrometer was originally developed byNASA to be used for mineral exploration.About the instrument, Ollinger says, "Whereas previousremote sensing instruments might be analogous to apiano with only five keys, this instrument is like a pianowith over 200 hundred keys."While originally testing the spectrometer in flights overthe White Mountain National Forest in NewHampshire, the authors came across a foretellingobservation."In the White Mountains, there's a long history ofhuman land use that includes logging and fires,"Ollinger explains. "Soil erosion got to be so bad in themid-19th century that rivers were filled with silt.Although the forests have since regrown, the effect ofthese disturbances still shows up today. We can see veryinteresting differences in the data on nitrogen levelsfrom these impacted places. What this tells us is thathow forests respond to air pollutants and climatechange depends to a large extent on what humans did ahundred years ago to the land." According to thescientist, this same principle applies in regards to howpresent-day land use practices may affect future forestresponses to climate change.Over the next few years, with a recent grant for$885,000 from NASA, the authors will be taking theirinstrument to Brazil, Australia, and sites throughoutNorth America to test their approach worldwide.Back to UNH News Bureau10/20/17, 11(22 AMAn Advancement in Remote Sensing Sheds Light on the Relationship between Air Pollution and Forest HealthPage 3 of 3http://www.unh.edu/delete/news/news_releases/2002/february/as_20020222sensing.html

An Advancement in Remote Sensing Sheds Light on the Relationship between Air Pollution and Forest Health

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An Advancement in Remote Sensing Sheds Light on the Relationship between Air Pollution and Forest Health

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