Satellite-Derived Measures of Landscape Processes Monitoring Protocol for the Southwest Alaska Network
Reed B, Budde M, Spencer P, Miller A. 2006. Satellite-Derived Measures of Landscape Processes Monitoring Protocol for the Southwest Alaska Network. Anchorage, AK
A primary goal of vital signs monitoring is to describe long-term trends in ecosystem properties to better understand their dynamic nature (Bennett et al., 2005). The Southwest Alaska Network (SWAN) has identified several physical and biological processes to monitor across all parks in the Network. These processes have been combined into the vital sign Landscape Processes and include the following: 1)Onset and freeze-up of ice on large freshwater bodies 2)Pattern and timing of snow cover 3)Timing of green-up and senescence in vegetation The large size and wilderness character of the five park units that comprise the SWAN (Alagnak Wild River, Aniakchak National Monument and Preserve, Katmai National Park and Preserve, Kenai Fjords National Park, Lake Clark National Park and Preserve) limit the feasibility of broad-scale, ground-based measurements. Common themes associated with the monitoring of Landscape Processes are the need for a temporal window of days to weeks, the ability to track processes at a large spatial scale across the region, and the potential to use remotely sensed data to interpret and integrate these processes. The primary tool to monitor these landscape processes will be multispectral satellite data acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). Terra MODIS and Aqua MODIS view the entire Earth's surface every 1 to 2 days, continuously acquiring data in 36 spectral bands at a spatial resolution of 250, 500, and 1000 m. High resolution (15-90m) ancillary data provided by the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) will be available as required. ASTER images received to date have already been processed and provided by the USGS Center for Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS). As such, this protocol does not address processing or analysis of ASTER data. Images derived from MODIS data can be analyzed manually or with algorithms to provide information about the landscape processes discussed above. Initial protocol development has been accomplished through an Interagency Agreement (IA) with USGS EROS. This protocol documents applications for MODIS data that have been developed for the SWAN.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Reed, Bradley; Budde, Michael; Spencer, Page; Miller, Amy
- Date of Issue
- 2006-12-15
- Units
- SWAN
- Keywords
- Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER), ASTER, break-up, Ecological Monitoring, End of Season, lake ice, Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), MODIS, NDVI, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), phenological metrics, Snow/Ice Cover, start of season, Vegetation
- Subjects
- Ecological Framework: Air and Climate | Weather and Climate | Weather and Climate , Ecological Framework: Geology and Soils | Geomorphology | Lake Features and Processes , Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Focal Species or Communities | Vegetation Complex