# Presentation: 071928

## Vegetation Structure

-  What are the most important and compelling research questions / science issues in this thematic area for NASA’s Terrestrial Ecology Program to address next?  (and Why?)
- What are the key remote sensing data records (time series products, CDRs, ESDR’s) required to address these research questions / science issues?  (and Why / How will they be used?)
-  What new measurements (from Decadal Survey missions and other satellite missions) will be used to address these research questions / science issues? (and Why / How will they be used?)
- 4.	What else will be needed (e.g., supporting research and technology investments, field studies, model development, cal/val) to achieve the NASA scientific objectives for this theme?
- 5.  	What does the NASA Terrestrial Ecology Program need to do – and how should it be done?

## Ecosystem Carbon Dynamics
What is the distribution of global carbon stock in vegetation?
How is the global carbon stock in vegetation changing and at what temporal and spatial scales?
What are the underlying processes impacting the vertical and horizontal structural patterns of vegetation?
How can processes of disturbance and recovery be quantified by vegetation 3D structure?
What is the contribution of necromass (dead, woody debris) to carbon dynamics?
What are the required structural variables, spatial and temporal resolutions and precision to answer the questions?
Land use change
What are the changes of vegetation structure in altered & managed landscapes?
What is the impact of invasive species on vegetation structure and ecosystem function?

- What is the distribution of global carbon stock in vegetation?
- How is the global carbon stock in vegetation changing and at what temporal and spatial scales?
- What are the underlying processes impacting the vertical and horizontal structural patterns of vegetation?
- How can processes of disturbance and recovery be quantified by vegetation 3D structure?
- What is the contribution of necromass (dead, woody debris) to carbon dynamics?
- What are the required structural variables, spatial and temporal resolutions and precision to answer the questions?
**Land use change**
- What are the changes of vegetation structure in altered & managed landscapes?
- What is the impact of invasive species on vegetation structure and ecosystem function?

- What are the most important and compelling research questions /science issues in this thematic area for NASA’s Terrestrial Ecology Program to address next?  (and Why?)

*Vegetation Structure*

## Responses and or feedbacks to climate change
How can changes in atmospheric trace gases impact vegetation structure and its changes?
How can warming of climate change the mechanical and ecological states that sustain forests (thawing of permafrost, droughts)?
How do vegetation structure and function respond to a managed emission scenario (CO2 reduction)?

Vegetation structure and Ecological Theory & Models
To what extent ecosystem models will be improved by vegetation structure?
Can vegetation structure improve/contribute to the ecological theory?
To what extent vegetation structure (natural and altered landscapes) improves the parameterization and feedback mechanisms within regional climate models. 

- How can changes in atmospheric trace gases impact vegetation structure and its changes?
- How can warming of climate change the mechanical and ecological states that sustain forests (thawing of permafrost, droughts)?
- How do vegetation structure and function respond to a managed emission scenario (CO2 reduction)?
**Vegetation structure and Ecological Theory & Models**
- To what extent ecosystem models will be improved by vegetation structure?
- Can vegetation structure improve/contribute to the ecological theory?
- To what extent vegetation structure (natural and altered landscapes) improves the parameterization and feedback mechanisms within regional climate models.

*Vegetation Structure*

## SRTM raw data and other spaceborne radar sensors (SIR-C, JERS-1, ALOS).
High resolution land cover maps derived from remote sensing data.
Time series Landsat data (LEDAPS) to map changes in vegetation cover
Long term time series of vegetation products (NDVI, EVI, LAI) to identify changes in vegetation cover and structure (grasslands, savanna, etc.)
Records of lidar data over vegetation from ICESAT-I, SLA, LVIS, SLICER, EAARL, ECHIDNA
Records of airborne radar data from (AIRSAR, GEOSAR, UAVSAR)
Multi-angle spectral reflectance data (MISR, AIR-MISR, MODIS) with potential to provide horizontal structure of forests (aspect ratio).
High resolution hyperspectral and multispectral data for stratifying the landscape for species composition and canopy structure (IKONOS, Quickbird, etc.)
Data from international sensors (Tandem-X for vegetation height and cover
In situ data for Cal/Val of vegetation structure: RAINFOR, LBA, BOREAS, LTER, FIA, Smithsonian 50 ha plots (CTFS), etc.
Other Data sets
Historical aerial photos over forests to quantify long term structural changes.
USGS lidar data record

- High resolution land cover maps derived from remote sensing data.
- Time series Landsat data (LEDAPS) to map changes in vegetation cover
- Long term time series of vegetation products (NDVI, EVI, LAI) to identify changes in vegetation cover and structure (grasslands, savanna, etc.)
- Records of lidar data over vegetation from ICESAT-I, SLA, LVIS, SLICER, EAARL, ECHIDNA
- Records of airborne radar data from (AIRSAR, GEOSAR, UAVSAR)
- Multi-angle spectral reflectance data (MISR, AIR-MISR, MODIS) with potential to provide horizontal structure of forests (aspect ratio).
- High resolution hyperspectral and multispectral data for stratifying the landscape for species composition and canopy structure (IKONOS, Quickbird, etc.)
- Data from international sensors (Tandem-X for vegetation height and cover
- In situ data for Cal/Val of vegetation structure: RAINFOR, LBA, BOREAS, LTER, FIA, Smithsonian 50 ha plots (CTFS), etc.
- Other Data sets
- Historical aerial photos over forests to quantify long term structural changes.
- USGS lidar data record

- What are the key remote sensing data records (time series products, CDRs, ESDR’s) required
- to address these research questions / science issues?  (and Why / How will they be used?)

*Vegetation Structure*

## Veg3D measurements from DESDynl providing measurements of 3D structure for distribution of global vegetation biomass at scales to capture the canopy scale dynamics of forest structure.
ICESAT II  will provide canopy profiles depending on beams and resolutions.   
Hyspiri Mission data to measure canopy composition, necromass
MSPI mission data for potential canopy structure data.
Data from SMAP to identify changes in surface condition (soil moisture, rain events, etc.)
ALOS PALSAR measurements to test and validate algorithms.
Airborne measurements from lidar and radar sensors for cal/val and to extend the field measurements to satellite observations through a multi-scale approach.
Airborne measurements from a series of global sites covering (even-spaced single species, uneven-spaced single species, and uneven-spaced mixed species, landscape gradients).
All new measurements must be coincident with field measurements.

- ICESAT II  will provide canopy profiles depending on beams and resolutions.
- Hyspiri Mission data to measure canopy composition, necromass
- MSPI mission data for potential canopy structure data.
- Data from SMAP to identify changes in surface condition (soil moisture, rain events, etc.)
- ALOS PALSAR measurements to test and validate algorithms.
- Airborne measurements from lidar and radar sensors for cal/val and to extend the field measurements to satellite observations through a multi-scale approach.
- Airborne measurements from a series of global sites covering (even-spaced single species, uneven-spaced single species, and uneven-spaced mixed species, landscape gradients).
- All new measurements must be coincident with field measurements.

- What new measurements (from Decadal Survey missions and other satellite missions) will be
- used to address these research questions / science issues? (and Why / How will they be used?)

*Vegetation Structure*

## NEW SCIENCE of BIOMASS ( a new approach to quantify biomass from field campaigns)
Support experiments with small foot-print lidar to identify fine scale measurements of structure, and spatial heterogeneity.
Support research projects to develop allometry to cover various ecosystems and landscape gradients, and to be compatible with the remote sensing data.
Develop experiments (field campaigns) addressing issues of allometry, scale of measurements, and uncertainties associated with biomass estimation.
Support research on data fusion algorithms (Lidar and Radar).
Support model developments providing a link between measurements and ecosystem products (productivity, fluxes, etc.)
Support research quantifying changes of vegetation structure from disturbance and recovery.
Support research to address measurement uncertainty in low and high biomass regions.

- Support experiments with small foot-print lidar to identify fine scale measurements of structure, and spatial heterogeneity.
- Support research projects to develop allometry to cover various ecosystems and landscape gradients, and to be compatible with the remote sensing data.
- Develop experiments (field campaigns) addressing issues of allometry, scale of measurements, and uncertainties associated with biomass estimation.
- Support research on data fusion algorithms (Lidar and Radar).
- Support model developments providing a link between measurements and ecosystem products (productivity, fluxes, etc.)
- Support research quantifying changes of vegetation structure from disturbance and recovery.
- Support research to address measurement uncertainty in low and high biomass regions.

- What else will be needed (e.g., supporting research and technology investments,
- field studies, model development, cal/val) to achieve the NASA scientific objectives
- for this theme?

*Vegetation Structure*

## 

Support all of the Above!

- Support all of the Above!

*Vegetation Structure*

- What does the NASA Terrestrial Ecology Program need to do – and how should it be done?