“Ecology is the interdisciplinary scientific study of the interactions between organisms and the interactions of these organisms with their environment.” (Begon, M.; Townsend, C. R., Harper, J. L. (2006). Ecology: From individuals to ecosystems. (4th ed.). Blackwell.)

The study of light energy, as it interacts with plant life, provides a wealth of valuable information about the organisms themselves, as well as the environments in which they grow. The ability to measure irradiance from above, below, and within a canopy, is important to understanding light utilization and productivity within a plant community. Researchers also require effective measurement of leaf optical properties to accurately model photon transport within the plant canopy. In addition, researchers can use leaf optical properties to quantify leaf biochemistry and discover indicators of physiological stress and disease. 

Visible-near infrared spectroscopy techniques help develop quantitative calibrations for rapid characterization of canopy properties and chemical constituents and give scientists a methodology to make lab-quality measurements in the field. Combining this technology with remotely sensed data has resulted in improved capabilities for landscape-scale ecosystem studies.

Other landscape ecology applications include plant community mapping, evaluation of ecosystem status, crop type and yield mapping, harvest scheduling, plant pigment studies, and canopy reflectance measurements. A thorough ecosystem understanding is key to environmental conservation and the protection of forests, lakes, reefs, and all other marine and wildlife habitats from the long term effects of human urbanizing, as well as natural disasters like forest fires.

The ability to accurately perform reflectance and radiometric measurements of vegetation and soil in the field is critical to all of these applications. The ASD FieldSpec® line of spectroradiometers offers a wide range of configuration options for both contact measurements (such as leaves or in a soil profile pit) and stand-off measurements (such as those needed to measure canopy reflectance). Bringing a level of device portability and flexibility that only ASD can provide, FieldSpec spectroradiometers allow for fieldwork in tight spaces like growth chambers or short-stature plant canopies, and at sites located in some of the most remote regions of the planet.

Select any of the links below to see papers by researchers using ASD instruments for landscape ecology and ecosystem studies.

Trace Chemical Detection Through Vegetation Sentinels and Fluorescence Spectroscopy

Assessing the Performance of HYPERION in Relation to Eucalypt Biochemistry

Documentation of Ruokolahti Campaign— Finland, June 2000

Detection and Site-Specific Control of Weeds Through Remote Sensing

McMurdo LTER: Using narrow band spectroradiometry to assess algal and moss communities in a dry valley stream.

Sondankylä, Finland, the SIFLEX (Solar Induced Fluorescence Experiment) Campaign

A comparative and synergistic study of ATSR-2 and the VEGETATION systems' responses to changes in vegetation cover

The study on the comparison of ADEOS-II GLI NDVI and other sensors NDVI by using field experiment data

Studying the Potential for Monitoring Colorado River Ecosystem Resources Below Glen Canyon Dam Using Low-Altitude AVIRIS Data

Geological and Geobotanical Studies of Long Valley Caldera, CA, USA Utilizing New 5m Hyperspectral Imagery

Individual Spectral Reflectance Curves of the overstory species in LBL, Kentucky

Wyoming Assessment Project and Remote Sensing of Leafy Spurge

Spectral Separability among Six Southern Tree Species

Computational Modeling Support to the Remote Sensing Technologies Center

The Dais La Peyne Experiment: Using the Optical and Thermal Dais Bands to Survey and Model the Surface Temperature

Spectral Acquisitions for Evaluation and Validation of EO -1 for Sustainable Development

Image Analysis Sediments and Paleoenvironments

Imaging Spectrometry for Monitoring Tree Damage Caused by Volcanic Activity in the Long Valley Caldera, California

Southern Africa Validation of EOS (SAVE) Status Report

HyMuS-Project - Upscaling of Spectrally derived Land-Surface Parameters, Part I

Overseas Visit Report: AVIRIS Science & Applications Workshop, JPL/NASA, 8 - 11 February 1999 — Cindy Ong, CSIRO Exploration & Mining and Alex Held, CSIRO Land & Water

Santa Monica Mountains Field Trip (June 8-12 1995)

NCR 101 Station Report, Ohio State University

Global Products of Vegetation Leaf Area and Fraction Absorbed PAR From Year One of MODIS Data

Observing the Earth From Space …distinctive spectral signature of vegetation

A Simulation Analysis of the Detectability of Understory Burns in Miombo Woodlands

For more information about the FieldSpec portable spectroradiometers used for research in forestry, ecology, and plant physiology select any of the links below.