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#           Identifying Lands Suitable for Biofuel Feedstock Crops by Dynamic Modeling of Ecosystem Performance      

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      By Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center       October 31, 2018    

            -              Overview           
            -              Publications           

Demand for biofuel products is expected to increase as the world seeks alternatives to fossil fuels. Currently, ethanol produced from Midwest corn is the most common biofuel product in the United States. The negative environmental effects caused by corn-based biofuel development include soil erosion, water quality impairment from pesticides and fertilizer, and demand for water for irrigation. The feedbacks of these environmental effects may cause local ecosystem changes. Biofuels produced from cellulosic feedstocks such as grasses, forest woody biomass, and agricultural and municipal wastes have lagged behind corn-based ethanol because the biochemistry of conversion is more complex. As the technical challenges are anticipated/predicted to be met in the near future, demand is expected to increase for cellulosic feedstocks as inputs to the refineries that produce biofuels. Our goal is to identify grasslands and marginal croplands that are suitable for growing cellulosic feedstock crops such as switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) while minimizing impacts on food production.

Our initial study area is the grasslands of the Greater Platte River Basin (GPRB). We identify grasslands suitable for conversion to a switchgrass crop by selecting areas 1) that have consistent grassland productivity that is high or fairly high and 2) that have not had severe ecological disturbance (e.g., wildfire, floods, insects, and overgrazing). Our method, known as "dynamic monitoring of ecosystem performance" (Wylie et al., 2008), is able to separate the influence of year-to-year weather changes (e.g., drought) from disturbance changes (e.g., fire or overgrazing) to identify and map suitable areas. Our analysis uses satellite-derived growing season normalized difference vegetation index (GSN) data, weather data, biophysical and geophysical data, and ecosystem or land cover performance models. We make maps of areas that may be suitable for conversion from grassland to biofuel feedstocks. Results from this study provide information to assist land managers and decision makers make optimal land use decisions for cellulosic biofuel development and sustainability. We have done preliminary work to evaluate the potential conversion of marginal croplands to switchgrass. Future work will extend the study area to the Northern Great Plains. 

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### Contacts

### Explore Search

                      - Vegetation Dynamics
                      - Vegetation, Water and Climate Dynamics
                      - Climate
                      - Identifying Lands Suitable for Biofuel Feedstock Crops by Dynamic Modeling of Ecosystem Performance
                      - earth resources observation and science center
                      - Remote Sensing
                      - ecosystems
                      - MODIS
                      - NDVI
                      - Data Mining
                      - Landsat
                      - biomass
                      - Great Plains
                      - Cellulosic Biofuels
                      - waterways
                      - Marginal Crops
                      - Future Crops

View All **

Below are publications associated with this project.

February 1, 2018

####                 Integrating future scenario‐based crop expansion and crop conditions to map switchgrass biofuel potential in eastern Nebraska, USA              

Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center 

June 1, 2018

####                 Mapping cropland waterway buffers for switchgrass development in the eastern Great Plains, USA              

Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center 

February 1, 2018

####                 Integrating future scenario‐based crop expansion and crop conditions to map switchgrass biofuel potential in eastern Nebraska, USA              

Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center 

November 15, 2016

####                 An optimal sample data usage strategy to minimize overfitting and underfitting effects in regression tree models based on remotely-sensed data              

Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center 

September 14, 2016

####                 Mapping marginal croplands suitable for cellulosic feedstock crops in the Great Plains, United States              

Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center 

December 3, 2015

####                 Developing a 30-m grassland productivity estimation map for central Nebraska using 250-m MODIS and 30-m Landsat-8 observations              

Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center 

August 1, 2015

####                 Using satellite vegetation and compound topographic indices to map highly erodible cropland buffers for cellulosic biofuel crop developments in eastern Nebraska, USA              

Ecosystems Mission Area, Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center 

April 23, 2015

####                 Spatially explicit estimation of aboveground boreal forest biomass in the Yukon River Basin, Alaska              

Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center 

March 24, 2015

####                 Downscaling 250-m MODIS growing season NDVI based on multiple-date landsat images and data mining approaches              

Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center 

January 1, 2015

####                 Estimating switchgrass productivity in the Great Plains using satellite vegetation index and site environmental variables              

Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center 

January 1, 2014

####                 Projecting future grassland productivity to assess thesustainability of potential biofuel feedstock areas in theGreater Platte River Basin              

Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center 

February 1, 2013

####                 Mapping grassland productivity with 250-m eMODIS NDVI and SSURGO database over the Greater Platte River Basin, USA              

Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center 

January 1, 2013

####                 NDVI saturation adjustment: a new approach for improving cropland performance estimates in the Greater Platte River Basin, USA              

Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center 

#### Pagination

-                Current page            1 
-                Page            2 
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Demand for biofuel products is expected to increase as the world seeks alternatives to fossil fuels. Currently, ethanol produced from Midwest corn is the most common biofuel product in the United States. The negative environmental effects caused by corn-based biofuel development include soil erosion, water quality impairment from pesticides and fertilizer, and demand for water for irrigation. The feedbacks of these environmental effects may cause local ecosystem changes. Biofuels produced from cellulosic feedstocks such as grasses, forest woody biomass, and agricultural and municipal wastes have lagged behind corn-based ethanol because the biochemistry of conversion is more complex. As the technical challenges are anticipated/predicted to be met in the near future, demand is expected to increase for cellulosic feedstocks as inputs to the refineries that produce biofuels. Our goal is to identify grasslands and marginal croplands that are suitable for growing cellulosic feedstock crops such as switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) while minimizing impacts on food production.

Our initial study area is the grasslands of the Greater Platte River Basin (GPRB). We identify grasslands suitable for conversion to a switchgrass crop by selecting areas 1) that have consistent grassland productivity that is high or fairly high and 2) that have not had severe ecological disturbance (e.g., wildfire, floods, insects, and overgrazing). Our method, known as "dynamic monitoring of ecosystem performance" (Wylie et al., 2008), is able to separate the influence of year-to-year weather changes (e.g., drought) from disturbance changes (e.g., fire or overgrazing) to identify and map suitable areas. Our analysis uses satellite-derived growing season normalized difference vegetation index (GSN) data, weather data, biophysical and geophysical data, and ecosystem or land cover performance models. We make maps of areas that may be suitable for conversion from grassland to biofuel feedstocks. Results from this study provide information to assist land managers and decision makers make optimal land use decisions for cellulosic biofuel development and sustainability. We have done preliminary work to evaluate the potential conversion of marginal croplands to switchgrass. Future work will extend the study area to the Northern Great Plains. 

View Media Details

### Contacts

### Explore Search

                      - Vegetation Dynamics
                      - Vegetation, Water and Climate Dynamics
                      - Climate
                      - Identifying Lands Suitable for Biofuel Feedstock Crops by Dynamic Modeling of Ecosystem Performance
                      - earth resources observation and science center
                      - Remote Sensing
                      - ecosystems
                      - MODIS
                      - NDVI
                      - Data Mining
                      - Landsat
                      - biomass
                      - Great Plains
                      - Cellulosic Biofuels
                      - waterways
                      - Marginal Crops
                      - Future Crops

View All **

Below are publications associated with this project.

February 1, 2018

####                 Integrating future scenario‐based crop expansion and crop conditions to map switchgrass biofuel potential in eastern Nebraska, USA              

Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center 

June 1, 2018

####                 Mapping cropland waterway buffers for switchgrass development in the eastern Great Plains, USA              

Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center 

February 1, 2018

####                 Integrating future scenario‐based crop expansion and crop conditions to map switchgrass biofuel potential in eastern Nebraska, USA              

Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center 

November 15, 2016

####                 An optimal sample data usage strategy to minimize overfitting and underfitting effects in regression tree models based on remotely-sensed data              

Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center 

September 14, 2016

####                 Mapping marginal croplands suitable for cellulosic feedstock crops in the Great Plains, United States              

Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center 

December 3, 2015

####                 Developing a 30-m grassland productivity estimation map for central Nebraska using 250-m MODIS and 30-m Landsat-8 observations              

Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center 

August 1, 2015

####                 Using satellite vegetation and compound topographic indices to map highly erodible cropland buffers for cellulosic biofuel crop developments in eastern Nebraska, USA              

Ecosystems Mission Area, Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center 

April 23, 2015

####                 Spatially explicit estimation of aboveground boreal forest biomass in the Yukon River Basin, Alaska              

Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center 

March 24, 2015

####                 Downscaling 250-m MODIS growing season NDVI based on multiple-date landsat images and data mining approaches              

Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center 

January 1, 2015

####                 Estimating switchgrass productivity in the Great Plains using satellite vegetation index and site environmental variables              

Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center 

January 1, 2014

####                 Projecting future grassland productivity to assess thesustainability of potential biofuel feedstock areas in theGreater Platte River Basin              

Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center 

February 1, 2013

####                 Mapping grassland productivity with 250-m eMODIS NDVI and SSURGO database over the Greater Platte River Basin, USA              

Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center 

January 1, 2013

####                 NDVI saturation adjustment: a new approach for improving cropland performance estimates in the Greater Platte River Basin, USA              

Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center 

#### Pagination

-                Current page            1 
-                Page            2 
-  Next page›› 
-  Last pageLast »