BOREAS -- Team Listing for RSS-8

The BOREAS Information System

Remote Sensing Science (RSS)

RSS-8: MODIS Land Team (Modland) Algorithm Development for Boreal Forests: Participation in BOREAS

P.I.(s): Steven W. Running -- University of Montana
Co-I(s): Jan-Peter Muller -- Univ. College London; Dorothy Hall, Yoram Kaufman -- NASA/GSFC; Alfredo Huete -- Univ. of Arizona; Zhengming Wan -- CRSEO Univ. of Calif.; Christopher Justice -- NASA/GSFC; D. Carneggie -- USGS EDC

Objectives: To take ground validation measurements of:

land cover mapping of the northern and southern sites, using both TM data and MODIS airborne simulator (MAS) data with ground derived
mapping and satellite monitoring of the seasonal snowcover and snowmelt on both sites using MAS and ASAS sensors
development of advanced spectral vegetation indices, predominantly using MAS and ground BRDF measurements
surface temperatures, as monitored by the meteorological tower network planned for each site, and related to both aircraft and satellite measured thermal emittances

Another main purpose is to use carbon and water flux measurements taken from cuvette, tower and aircraft levels by other investigators to validate our hierarchical modeling of ecosystem water and carbon balances done with FOREST-BGC and our current NDVI modeling. We are integrating these core products into new spatially scalable estimates of daily photosynthesis-respiration balances, evapotranspiration, and soil decomposition and CO₂ production. These products, tested and validated during the IFCs, will be extrapolated to the global boreal forest biome.