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Ecosystem structure throughout the Brazilian Amazon from Landsat observations and automated spectral unmixing

Publication ,  Journal Article
Asner, GP; Knapp, DE; Cooper, AN; Bustamante, MMC; Olander, LP
Published in: Earth Interactions
January 1, 2005

The Brazilian Amazon forest and cerrado savanna encompasses a region of enormous ecological, climatic, and land-use variation. Satellite remote sensing is the only tractable means to measure the biophysical attributes of vegetation throughout this region, but coarse-resolution sensors cannot resolve the details of forest structure and land-cover change deemed critical to many land-use, ecological, and conservation-oriented studies. The Carnegie Landsat Analysis System (CLAS) was developed for studies of forest and savanna structural attributes using widely available Landsat Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) satellite data and advanced methods in automated spectral mixture analysis. The methodology of the CLAS approach is presented along with a study of its sensitivity to atmospheric correction errors. CLAS is then applied to a mosaic of Landsat images spanning the years 1999-2001 as a proof of concept and capability for large-scale, very high resolution mapping of the Amazon and bordering cerrado savanna. A total of 197 images were analyzed for fractional photosynthetic vegetation (PV), nonphotosynthetic vegetation (NPV), and bare substrate covers using a probabilistic spectral mixture model. Results from areas without significant land use, clouds, cloud shadows, and water bodies were compiled by the Brazilian state and vegetation class to understand the baseline structural typology of forests and savannas using this new system. Conversion of the satellite-derived PV data to woody canopy gap fraction was made to highlight major differences by vegetation and ecosystem classes. The results indicate important differences in fractional photosynthetic cover and canopy gap fraction that can now be accounted for in future studies of land-cover change, ecological variability, and biogeochemical processes across the Amazon and bordering cerrado regions of Brazil.

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Published In

Earth Interactions

DOI

EISSN

1087-3562

ISSN

1087-3562

Publication Date

January 1, 2005

Volume

9

Issue

7

Start / End Page

1 / 31

Related Subject Headings

  • Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
  • 3707 Hydrology
  • 3705 Geology
  • 3701 Atmospheric sciences
  • 0406 Physical Geography and Environmental Geoscience
  • 0404 Geophysics
  • 0403 Geology
 

Citation

APA
Chicago
ICMJE
MLA
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Asner, G. P., Knapp, D. E., Cooper, A. N., Bustamante, M. M. C., & Olander, L. P. (2005). Ecosystem structure throughout the Brazilian Amazon from Landsat observations and automated spectral unmixing. Earth Interactions, 9(7), 1–31. https://doi.org/10.1175/EI134.1
Asner, G. P., D. E. Knapp, A. N. Cooper, M. M. C. Bustamante, and L. P. Olander. “Ecosystem structure throughout the Brazilian Amazon from Landsat observations and automated spectral unmixing.” Earth Interactions 9, no. 7 (January 1, 2005): 1–31. https://doi.org/10.1175/EI134.1.
Asner GP, Knapp DE, Cooper AN, Bustamante MMC, Olander LP. Ecosystem structure throughout the Brazilian Amazon from Landsat observations and automated spectral unmixing. Earth Interactions. 2005 Jan 1;9(7):1–31.
Asner, G. P., et al. “Ecosystem structure throughout the Brazilian Amazon from Landsat observations and automated spectral unmixing.” Earth Interactions, vol. 9, no. 7, Jan. 2005, pp. 1–31. Scopus, doi:10.1175/EI134.1.
Asner GP, Knapp DE, Cooper AN, Bustamante MMC, Olander LP. Ecosystem structure throughout the Brazilian Amazon from Landsat observations and automated spectral unmixing. Earth Interactions. 2005 Jan 1;9(7):1–31.

Published In

Earth Interactions

DOI

EISSN

1087-3562

ISSN

1087-3562

Publication Date

January 1, 2005

Volume

9

Issue

7

Start / End Page

1 / 31

Related Subject Headings

  • Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
  • 3707 Hydrology
  • 3705 Geology
  • 3701 Atmospheric sciences
  • 0406 Physical Geography and Environmental Geoscience
  • 0404 Geophysics
  • 0403 Geology