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Completed TRL 3 (started at 2, targeting 3)
We will acquire hyperspectral, high-resolution pan imagery and scanning lidar over CO2 tower flux sites can accurately measure forest productivity and stress. Hyperspectral reflectance and higher resolution panchromatic images will be acquired from GSFC’s FireflEYE camera. This work will utilize Virginia Tech’s UAS to acquire a full suite of seasonal and diurnal data to needed demonstrate and support algorithm development for GSFC’s MiniSpec instrument and SAFE (Structure and Function of Ecosystems) and Concurrent Artificially-intelligent Spectrometry and Adaptive Lidar System (CASALS) mission concepts. VT will also provide UAS based scanning lidar data for detailed 3D forest structure for this project. Initial flights will be in western Virginia over forests representative of Appalachian conifer and deciduous forests.
Ghost forests along the Chesapeake Bay stand as a local example of dieback in plain sight and a contributor to sediment in Bay waters. Why do forest die? What is the extent and rate of forest dieback globally? What are the consequences to human life of disappearing forests? How can we know a forest is unhealthy before it’s too late? For decades, scientists have successfully used vegetation optical properties as indicators of physiological activity (e.g., photosynthesis and respiration), the fundamental driver of land-atmosphere CO2 exchange. Improved measurements of these indicators are necessary to document, model and manage carbon sequestration and loss. Numerous studies have shown that vegetation optical properties are impacted by vegetation structure, and by changing patterns of shadows and physiological changes during a day. This IRAD seeks to mature concepts that account for these vegetation structure and diurnal effects. Multiple measurements will be made at different sun angle positions on at least 6 separate days during the growing season at tower flux sites that serve as calibration sources. These measurements simulate the observations and on-board scene analysis being considered for two mission concepts under development at Goddard, the Structure and Function of Ecosystems (SAFE) and the Concurrent Artificially-intelligent Spectrometry and Adaptive Lidar System (CASALS). These measurements are called for in the 2017 Earth Science Decadal survey and are the basis for SAFE, CASALS and future mission concepts.
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