Development of area-wide functional indicators using remotely sensed data
Final Report Abstract
The project aimed at developing prototypical spatial indicators for the functional monitoring of evapotranspiration (ET) and biomass based on remote sensing data for an altitude transect in the Ecuadorian Andes (tropical mountain rainforest and Páramo, 1000 – 5000 m a.s.l.). To validate the ET indicator, latest measuring systems (Scintillometer, Eddy Covariance) and modelling approaches were used. The transdisciplinary implementation was carried out with a consortium of Ecuadorian universities, local planning institutions and infrastructure operators (Environmental Department of the City of Zamora, ETAPA) as well as NGOs (NCI, FORAGUA) from the biodiversity/water sector. Within the project, two different remote sensing based ET indicators were successfully developed: (i) Based on high-resolution Worldview data and normalized vegetation indices (for the tropical mountain rainforest) and (ii) by means of the Landsat and MODIS-based energy balance model METRIC. The validation with scintillometer, eddy covariance measurements and water balance data shows a high quality of the developed ET indicators. With the help of LiDAR scans, it was also possible to develop an above-ground biomass indicator in tropical mountain rainforests. The scientific evaluation of the indicators showed that (i) two groups of trees can be distinguished in the mountain rainforest, which show an inverse behavior of water use in dry periods and (ii) that the páramo is more a carbon source than a sink under today's climate conditions. Within the framework of the knowledge transfer, two commonly understandable books on the program were produced, which (i) set the framework for indicator development and (ii) describe the development, implementation and application of indicators for technicians of non-university partners in the sense of a cook-book. In a workshop the cooperation partners were trained, the indicators from satellite data acquisition to result interpretation were practiced and the developed R software was made available.
Publications
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(2017): Area-wide evapotranspiration monitoring at the crown level of a tropical mountain rain forest. Remote Sensing of Environment 194, 219–229
Silva, B., Alava Nunez, P., Strobl, S., Beck, E. & Bendix, J.
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(2017): Spatial-explicit ET indicator for the South Ecuadorian Andes derived from remotely sensed data. In: Beck, E., Knoke, T., Farwig, N., Breuer, L., Siddons, D. & Bendix, J. (Edts.) Landscape Restoration, Sustainable Use and Cross-scale Monitoring of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functions. NCI Loja, pp. 135-148
Silva, B., Carrillo-Rojas, G., Alava Nunez, P., Rollenbeck, R., Strobl, S., Beck, E. & Bendix, J.
