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Employing lidar to detail vegetation canopy architecture for prediction of aeolian transport

June 1, 2013

The diverse and fundamental effects that aeolian processes have on the biosphere and geosphere are commonly generated by horizontal sediment transport at the land surface. However, predicting horizontal sediment transport depends on vegetation architecture, which is difficult to quantify in a rapid but accurate manner. We demonstrate an approach to measure vegetation canopy architecture at high resolution using lidar along a gradient of dryland sites ranging from 2% to 73% woody plant canopy cover. Lidar-derived canopy height, distance (gaps) between vegetation elements (e.g., trunks, limbs, leaves), and the distribution of gaps scaled by vegetation height were correlated with canopy cover and highlight potentially improved horizontal dust flux estimation than with cover alone. Employing lidar to estimate detailed vegetation canopy architecture offers promise for improved predictions of horizontal sediment transport across heterogeneous plant assemblages.

Publication Year 2013
Title Employing lidar to detail vegetation canopy architecture for prediction of aeolian transport
DOI 10.1002/grl.50356
Authors Joel B. Sankey, Darin J. Law, David D. Breshears, Seth M. Munson, Robert H. Webb
Publication Type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Series Title Geophysical Research Letters
Index ID 70093723
Record Source USGS Publications Warehouse
USGS Organization Western Geographic Science Center