Harvard Forest Symposium Abstract 2009

Title: Canopy Phenology, Remote Sensing, and Microclimate
Primary Author: Mark Friedl (Boston University)
Additional Authors: Nathan Phillips (Boston University)
Abstract:
Our research at the Harvard Forest walk-up tower site examines how seasonality of canopy leaf area, or canopy phenology, influences, and is influenced by, local climate. As part of this activity we are studying methods for (and limits to) remote sensing of canopy phenology. To address this research topic, we have initiated measurements to quantify how radiation fluxes through a deciduous forest canopy are modified by seasonal canopy leaf dynamics. We continuously measure above- and below-canopy radiation fluxes at a variety of spectral bands (shortwave, photosynthetic, and thermal infrared) and with digital photography. These measurements provide a surrogate measure of canopy leaf area dynamics, and directly represent the radiation component of the surface energy balance. To build on these measurements, future plans are to include measurements water balance (using soil moisture, precipitation measurements, and tree sap flow sensors). These measurements will complement ongoing microclimate and eddy covariance measurements of water and carbon exchange at the EMS flux tower. This research extends previous efforts examining sap-flux dynamics by one of the co-investigators (Phillips) and builds on previous and ongoing research at Harvard Forest.
Research Category: Forest-Atmosphere Exchange

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