Global satellite monitoring of climate-induced vegetation disturbances

Nate G McDowell; Nicholas C Coops; Pieter S A Beck; Jeffrey Q Chambers; Chandana Gangodagamage; Jeffrey A Hicke; Cho-ying Huang; Robert Kennedy; Dan J Krofcheck; Marcy Litvak; Arjan J H Meddens; Jordan Muss; Robinson Negrón-Juarez; Changhui Peng; Amanda M Schwantes; Jennifer J Swenson; Louis J Vernon; A Park Williams; Chonggang Xu; Maosheng Zhao; Steve W Running; Craig D Allen

doi:10.1016/j.tplants.2014.10.008

Global satellite monitoring of climate-induced vegetation disturbances

Trends Plant Sci. 2015 Feb;20(2):114-23. doi: 10.1016/j.tplants.2014.10.008. Epub 2014 Dec 11.

Authors

Nate G McDowell¹, Nicholas C Coops², Pieter S A Beck³, Jeffrey Q Chambers⁴, Chandana Gangodagamage⁵, Jeffrey A Hicke⁶, Cho-ying Huang⁷, Robert Kennedy⁸, Dan J Krofcheck⁹, Marcy Litvak⁹, Arjan J H Meddens⁶, Jordan Muss⁵, Robinson Negrón-Juarez⁴, Changhui Peng¹⁰, Amanda M Schwantes¹¹, Jennifer J Swenson¹¹, Louis J Vernon⁵, A Park Williams¹², Chonggang Xu⁵, Maosheng Zhao¹³, Steve W Running¹⁴, Craig D Allen¹⁵

Affiliations

¹ Los Alamos National Lab, Earth and Environmental Sciences Division, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA. Electronic address: mcdowell@lanl.gov.
² Faculty of Forestry, University of British Columbia, 2424 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T1Z4, Canada.
³ Institute for Environment and Sustainability, Joint Research Centre, European Commission, Via E. Fermi 2749, 21027 Ispra (VA), Italy.
⁴ Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, Earth Science Division, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
⁵ Los Alamos National Lab, Earth and Environmental Sciences Division, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA.
⁶ University of Idaho, Department of Geography, Moscow, ID 83844-3021, USA.
⁷ Department of Geography, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan.
⁸ Department of Earth and Environment, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
⁹ Biology Department, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001, USA.
¹⁰ Center of CEF/ESCER, Department of Biological Science, University of Quebec at Montreal, Montreal H3C 3P8, Canada and State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, China.
¹¹ Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA.
¹² Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University, Palisades, NY 10964, USA.
¹³ Department of Geographical Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA.
¹⁴ Department of Ecosystem and Conservation Sciences, University of Montana, MT 59812, USA.
¹⁵ United States Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, Jemez Mountain Field Station, Los Alamos, NM 87544, USA.

PMID: 25500552
DOI: 10.1016/j.tplants.2014.10.008

Abstract

Terrestrial disturbances are accelerating globally, but their full impact is not quantified because we lack an adequate monitoring system. Remote sensing offers a means to quantify the frequency and extent of disturbances globally. Here, we review the current application of remote sensing to this problem and offer a framework for more systematic analysis in the future. We recommend that any proposed monitoring system should not only detect disturbances, but also be able to: identify the proximate cause(s); integrate a range of spatial scales; and, ideally, incorporate process models to explain the observed patterns and predicted trends in the future. Significant remaining challenges are tied to the ecology of disturbances. To meet these challenges, more effort is required to incorporate ecological principles and understanding into the assessments of disturbance worldwide.

Keywords: climate change; die-off; drought; forests; landscape; mortality; satellite.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.
Review

MeSH terms

Climate Change*
Ecosystem*
Environmental Monitoring*
Plant Physiological Phenomena*
Remote Sensing Technology
Spacecraft