Session E: Novel Applications of Remote Sensing Technology to Environmental Well-Being
Technical Subject:

New Tools and Methods for Monitoring Photosynthetically Active Radiation andits Role in Crop Production and the Terrestrial Carbon Cycle
Corresponding Applicant:Co-Researchers:

Dennis Dye (Frontier Research System for Global Change, Japan)

Nguyen Duong (Inst. Geography, Vietnam), R. S. Hooda (Haryana State Remote Sensing Applications
Center, India), Steven Running (Univ. Montana, USA), Teruyuki Nakajima (Univ. Tokyo, Japan)

AtmosphericRadiation
ModelClouds
Total Ozone
Mapping
Spectrometer(TOMS)& Aura OMI

PAR Data(direct &diffuse)calibration

Ecosystem
Process
Modelvalidation

Open Data
Distribution
Aerosols

New PARSensor

Productivity &Carbon Exchangeof Crops andNatural Vegetationand theirSensitivity toAerosol Effects
on PAR

New Surface PARSensor Network

Objective & Contribution to Environmental Well-Being
Our research will introduce new tools and methods to advance current knowledge and understanding of how changing atmosphericconditions affect ecosystem functioning at regional and global scales. Of key importance to human societies is the potential influence ofincreased aerosols and/or cloudiness on photosynthesis, crop yields and the terrestrial carbon cycle. For example, recent research suggeststhat extensive aerosols from industrial air pollution may significantly reduce annual crop yields in China as a result of increased opticaldepths and decreased solar radiation at the surface. Current understanding of this phenemonenon is poor. Our research will provide thetools, data, and understanding, that are critically needed to guide strategies for mitigation of (or adaptation to) this source of global
environmental change.
Data & Methods
We will develop a new remote sensing method that combines data on global aerosol and cloud properties from the Total Ozone Mapping
Spectrometer (TOMS) (and future OMI sensor) with an atmospheric radiation transfer model to estimate direct and diffuse PAR irradiance.
Surface measurement data for direct and diffuse PAR are crucial for PAR model calibration and accuracy assessment, however such data
are extremely rare. To provide suitable surface PAR data, we will establish a new network of PAR
PA measurement sites throughout the Asia
region (Japan, India, Vietnam, Thailand, Mongolia, Thailand, Indonesia, and Russia). The satellite and surface PAR data will be used todrive an ecosystem process model and quantify the effects of PAR variability (attributed to aerosols and clouds) on photosynthesis andcarbon exchange in natural vegetation and crops.
Expected Results and Benefits
The research will: 1) promote the commercial development of a new type of sensor for in situ measurement of direct and diffuse PAR, 2)
establish an Asian PAR sensor network for validation and detailed studies of atmosphere-PAR-ecosystem interactions, 3) provide a
valuable global data source on direct and diffuse PAR to support ecosystem process modeling, and 4) provide new understanding of theeffects of aerosols and clouds on vegetation productivity and the terrestrial carbon cycle. Because the new PAR
PA sensor has not previously
been available, it will provide new opportunities for marketing and sales to researchers worldwide. The data and findings from theresearch will be made available to the research community and general public through the project website, existing data archives,
conference presentations, and publications in international peer-reviewed journals.
Opportunities for Collaboration
We welcome discussion on possible collaboration with researchers with relevant interests and expertise.