Large-scale Validation of Carbon Stock and Flux Estimates from Remote Sensing

Richard Birdsey, USDA Forest ServiceJohn Hom, USDA Forest Service

Peter Murdoch, US Geological SurveyZhi-Liang Zhu, US Geological SurveyJeff Eidenshink, US Geological Survey

Yude Pan, USDA Forest ServiceDalia Varanka, US Geological Survey

Rachel Riemann, USDA Forest ServiceMichael Hoppus, USDA Forest ServiceMike McHale, US Geological Survey

Jennifer Jenkins, U. of VermontKevin McCullough, USDA Forest Service

Arlington, Virginia: March 27, 2003

NASA Grant Enhances the Delaware River BasinCollaborative Environmental Monitoring and Research Initiative (CEMRI)

Intensive Monitoring Sites:

1. Neversink River Basin

2. Delaware Water Gap

3. French Creek State Park

Monitoring at Multiple Scales to Link Processes and Observations

Overview of Delaware River Basin Pilot Monitoring Program

• Multi-agency effort to develop an environmental monitoring framework– USGS, FS, NPS, NASA, State and local partners

• State-of-the-art application of monitoring technology at multiple scales

• Issues defined by stakeholders:– forest health – forest fragmentation – water quality – carbon sequestration – invasive species

Sponsors, Partners, Stakeholders

• USDA Forest Service• US Geological Survey• NASA Earth Sciences• National Park Service • State Departments of Environmental Protection• Delaware River Basin Commission• Environmental education centers• NGOs (e.g. Stroud Center, The Nature Conservancy)

NASA Application Grant Objectives

• Integrate estimates of biomass and NPP from MODIS and field monitoring

• Characterize patterns of forest fragmentation and land use change, and associated C losses using Landsat TM, CIR aerial photography, and field data

• Develop and apply consistent cover type classifications for MODIS, Landsat TM, and field samples

• Estimate a complete basin-wide C budget including C loss by water transport

Summary of Data Sources• Remote sensing

– MODIS– Landsat TM– AVHRR– Low-altitude CIR aerial photography

• Field data– Operational USFS forest inventory (FIA/FHM) with

enhancements for ecosystem carbon– Operational USGS water quality surveys (NAWQA) with

enhancements for water transport of carbon– National Atmospheric Deposition Network (NADP)– Historical maps of land use

Summary of Models

• Biome-BGC – (Steve Running - NPP from MODIS)

• FORCARB estimators – (Forest Service - forest carbon budgets)

• PnET-CN – (John Aber - ecosystem processes)

• Sparrow – (USGS - water quality and carbon transport)

• Data processing and scaling– Many different statistical estimators

Principal Applications

• Integrate operational land, water, and soil inventories

• Enhance inventory content and accuracy by using new remote sensing products

• Provide tools for state and local agencies responsible for planning development

• Pilot study for North American Carbon Program….

Multi-tier Monitoring Design

• Tier One – Remote Sensing and Mapping Wall-to-wall coverage; stratification

• Tier Two – Extensive Inventories and Surveys Representative regional statistical sample

• Tier Three – Condition Sample (new) Representative of specified condition classes

• Tier Four –Intensive Areas Relatively small number of specific sites

Increasing temporal resolution

Increasing spatial resolution

Illustration of Multi-tier Concept

ExampleVariable

Tier 1Remote Sensing

Tier 2Extensive Inventory

Tier 3Condition Sample

Tier 4Intensive Site

Land cover X X X XLeaf area X X X XDisturbance X X X X*Live biomass X X XLitterfall X XSoil CO2 flux X X

Methane flux X XDOC X XNEE X

* Designed experiments

MODIS Land Classification for Delaware River Basin

Forest Type Classification for Delaware River Basin

Land Cover Classification for Delaware River Basin

Comparison of land cover classification from 3 sources:

• MODIS/AVHRR

• Forest type/AVHRR

• NLCD’92/TM

Land cover of Dingman’s Falls watershed derived from various remote sensors

The “Three Watershed Study” in the Delaware Water Gap

Fragmentation Study Watersheds in the Delaware River Basin – Base Map is NLCD’92 from TM Data • Fragmentation estimates from low-altitude CIR aerial photography

• Water quality data from USGS NAWQA

• 32 watersheds comprise a factorial experiment: urbanization (5 levels) x EPT richness (3 levels)

Carbonshed estimates for:• Neversink

• Delaware Water Gap (3 watersheds)

• French Creek

• Whole Delaware River Basin

Neversink

Delaware Water Gap

French Creek

Forest Inventory Plots in the Delaware Water Gap Watersheds (Tier 2)

Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area (outlined in red)

Sample Design for Soil CO2 Flux (Tier 3)

Select new sample sites by forest type and moisture class

Delaware River Basin Delaware Water Gap Intensive Site

FIA plot design

Establish 12 sample locations on lines between sub-plots

Expected Results and Products

• Integrated data sets: vegetation/soils/water from ground and space

• Analytical tools: models for scenario analysis• “Carbonshed” budgets at several scales• Improved operational inventories• Comparison of estimates from MODIS with

ground data• Science applications meeting with Delaware

River Basin Commission