Validating LiDAR derived estimates of canopy height, understory density and fractional cover in riparian areas: a comparison of leaf-on and leaf-off LiDAR data methods

Riparian buffers maintain the ecological integrity of aquatic and terrestrial systems providing integral ecosystem services including moderation of water quality and quantity and provision of wildlife habitat. Characterization of riparian buffers is integral to understanding the landscape scale impacts of disturbance on wildlife and aquatic ecosystems. Riparian buffers may be characterized using in situ plot sampling or via high resolution remote sensing. Field measurements are time-consuming and may not cover a broad range of ecosystem types. Further, spectral remote sensing_ methods introduce a compromise between grain (spatial resolution) and area extent._ Airborne LiDAR can be used to continuously map and characterize riparian vegetation structure and composition due to the three-dimensional reflectance of laser pulses within and below the canopy, understory and at the ground surface. The distance between reflections (or returns ) allows for detection of narrow buffer corridors throughout a watershed. This talk will demonstrate the effectiveness of leaf-on and leaf-off LiDAR in characterizing riparian buffers of varying structure and composition as compared to field-derived measurements at the watershed scale.

Contact

  Dan Grear
  ecologyservice@psu.edu