Airborne studies provide the opportunity for targeted analyses of ecosystems in space and time, and to test methods for mapping ecosystem traits in absence of the resources to collect comprehensive ground measurements. While imaging spectroscopy is increasingly being used to map important ecosystem traits, explicit linkages to ecosystem processes at landscape scales remain lacking. For example, how does variation in foliar biochemical traits influence ecosystem service delivery across diverse landscapes? Using data from experimental, natural and agro-ecosystems, we illustrate how airborne hyperspectral imagery is central to advancing our understanding of spatial and temporal variation in ecosystem processes.
Results/Conclusions
We present results from three studies that utilize airborne imaging spectroscopy data. In natural forests, imaging spectroscopy enables estimation of canopy isotopic nitrogen ratios, facilitating inferences about the effects of forest history on nutrient cycling. In an experimental ecosystem designed to compare strategies for the use of marginal landscapes for biofuel production, we show that less productive native vegetation exhibits greater functional variability and related ecosystem services than more traditional cover types. Finally, in mixed agricultural-forest landscapes, we illustrate how mapping of plant functional traits from airborne imaging spectroscopy are related to and predictive of water quality.