Satellite image analysis delivers new insight into the functional diversity of tropical forests

Satellite image analysis delivers new insight into the functional diversity of tropical forests

Satellite images from space are allowing scientists to delve deeper into the individual functions of different tropical forest canopies with new and surprising results.

Canopy functional trait variation across Earth’s tropical forests

Tropical forest canopies are the biosphere’s most concentrated atmospheric interface for carbon, water and energy1,2. However, in most Earth System Models, the diverse and heterogeneous tropical forest biome is represented as a largely uniform ecosystem with either a singular or a small number of fixed canopy ecophysiological properties3. This situation arises, in part, from a lack of understanding about how and why the functional properties of …

Defining How Much of the World is Covered by Forests

With no universal definition, mapping and comparing forest coverage around the world is challenging. The post Defining How Much of the World is Covered by Forests appeared first on Geography Realm.