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Harvard Forest Symposium Abstract 2013
- Title: In-Situe Soil Monitoring Network for AirMOSS Project at Harvard Forest
- Primary Author: Yutaka Hagimoto (Oregon State University )
- Additional Authors: Richard Cuenca (Oregon State University )
- Abstract:
In-Situ Soil Monitoring Network for AirMOSS Project at Harvard Forest
Authors (First Name, Last Name): Yutaka Hagimoto and Richard H. Cuenca
Institute: Department of Biological and Ecological Engineering, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA.
North American ecosystems are critical components of the global carbon cycle, exchanging large amounts of carbon dioxide and other trace gases with the atmosphere. Net ecosystem exchange (NEE) quantifies these carbon fluxes, but current continental-scale estimates contain a high degree of uncertainty. Root-zone soil moisture (RZSM) and its spatial and temporal heterogeneity influences NEE and contributes as much as 60 to80% to the variability. The goal of the Airborne Microwave Observatory of Subcanopy and Subsurface (AirMOSS) project is to provide new NEE estimates for North America with reduced uncertainty by (1) providing high-resolution remote observations of RZSM over regions representative of the major North American biomes, (2) quantifying the impact of RZSM on the estimation of regional carbon fluxes, and (3) upscaling the reduced uncertainty estimates of regional carbon fluxes to the continental scale of North America. AirMOSS utilizes an airborne ultra-high frequency synthetic aperture radar (P-band SAR) capable of penetrating through substantial vegetation canopies and soil down to depths of approximately 1.2 meters. Also, the project utilizes in-situ ground networks consisting of three instrumented soil profiles at each study site to calibrate and validate P-band SAR measurements. As one of nine study sites, Harvard Forest represents a temperate deciduous broadleaf forest. The in-situ ground system was installed in the vicinity of the EMS Tower (HFR1) in summer 2011 and has been recording hydrologic events in the forest (including Hurricane Sandy 2012) and demonstrating significant temporal and spatial heterogeneity of RZSM in the forest. The project carried out the first airborne P-band SAR measurements over the Harvard Forest in October 2012, and the P-band product is currently undergoing calibration. Three more flights over the Harvard Forest are scheduled in 2013.
- Research Category: Forest-Atmosphere Exchange
