NJIT Physics Department Seminar

February 18, Thursday (**SPECIAL DAY**)

Remote Sensing of Vegetation and Land Surfaces for Ecological Research

Dr. Youngwook Kim

Dept. of Ecosystem & Conservation Sciences

The University of Montana

(Host: Federici)

Time: 2:45pm-3:45pm with 2:30pm tea time (**SPECIAL TIME**)

Room: FMH 408 (**SPECIAL ROOM**)

Abstract:

Monitoring vegetation and land surface properties are critical to improve understanding and quantification of carbon fluxes associated with terrestrial ecosystem processes and climate feedback. Remote sensing offers an effective way to monitor ecosystem states and functioning, and land surface properties in a consistent and robust manner. Spectral vegetation indices (VIs) derived from optical sensor (Visible, Infrared) is widely adopted for characterizing canopy biophysical processes, including plant photosynthesis and vegetation phenology. Landscape freeze/thaw (FT) state derived from microwave remote is closely linked with timing and length of vegetation growing seasons, ecosystem respiration and trace gas exchange. Calibration and validation processes have been applied to improve quantification of vegetation and land surface properties derived from optical and microwave remote sensing. The remote sensing observations of vegetation and land surface properties have been incorporated to model of underlying the processes to estimate gross/net primary production associated with terrestrial carbon uptake. Recently developed data fusion techniques in optical and microwave remote sensing provide new insights on characterizing interactive effects of climate controls on vegetation productivity and snowpack melt dynamics, and monitoring permafrost features and disturbances associated with carbon release. Remote sensing data records presented in this study have been used to quantify the spatial and temporal variations in the responses of vegetation growth and productivity to climate changes.