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

1. Large-scale Validation of Carbon Stock and Flux Estimates from Remote Sensing Richard Birdsey, USDA Forest Service John Hom, USDA Forest Service Peter Murdoch, US Geological Survey Zhi-Liang Zhu, US Geological Survey Jeff Eidenshink, US Geological Survey Yude Pan, USDA Forest Service Dalia Varanka, US Geological Survey Rachel Riemann, USDA Forest Service Michael Hoppus, USDA Forest Service Mike McHale, US Geological Survey Jennifer Jenkins, U. of Vermont Kevin McCullough, USDA Forest Service Arlington, Virginia: March 27, 2003

2. NASA Grant Enhances the Delaware River Basin Collaborative Environmental Monitoring and Research Initiative (CEMRI) Monitoring at Multiple Scales to Link Processes and Observations • Intensive Monitoring Sites: • Neversink River Basin • Delaware Water Gap • French Creek State Park

3. 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

4. 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)

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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….

9. 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 spatial resolution Increasing temporal resolution

10. Illustration of Multi-tier Concept * Designed experiments

11. MODIS Land Classification for Delaware River Basin

12. Forest Type Classification for Delaware River Basin

13. Land Cover Classification for Delaware River Basin

14. Comparison of land cover classification from 3 sources: • MODIS/AVHRR • Forest type/AVHRR • NLCD’92/TM

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

16. The “Three Watershed Study” in the Delaware Water Gap

17. Fragmentation Study Watersheds in the Delaware River Basin – Base Map is NLCD’92 from TM Data Neversink Delaware Water Gap • 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) French Creek Carbonshed estimates for: • Neversink • Delaware Water Gap (3 watersheds) • French Creek • Whole Delaware River Basin

18. Forest Inventory Plots in the Delaware Water Gap Watersheds (Tier 2) Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area (outlined in red)

19. Sample Design for Soil CO2 Flux (Tier 3) Delaware Water Gap Intensive Site Delaware River Basin Select new sample sites by forest type and moisture class FIA plot design Establish 12 sample locations on lines between sub-plots

20. 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