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Publikasjoner

NIBIOs ansatte publiserer flere hundre vitenskapelige artikler og forskningsrapporter hvert år. Her finner du referanser og lenker til publikasjoner og andre forsknings- og formidlingsaktiviteter. Samlingen oppdateres løpende med både nytt og historisk materiale. For mer informasjon om NIBIOs publikasjoner, besøk NIBIOs bibliotek.

2010

Sammendrag

Four alternative airborne laser scanning (ALS) canopy penetration variables were compared for their suitability for mapping of gap fraction, leaf area index and disturbances in a Scots pine forest. The variables were based on either echo counting or intensity, and on either first or first and last echoes. ALS data and field-measured gap fraction and effective leaf area index (LAIe) were gathered before and after a severe insect defoliation by pine sawflies. LAIe is a commonly used form of leaf area index that is mathematically derived from gap fraction, and includes the areas of foliage, branches and trunks, and which is not corrected for the clumping of foliage. The ALS penetration variables were almost equally strongly related to field-measured gap fraction and LAIe. The estimated slopes in the LAIe models varied from 0.94 to 2.71, and had coefficient of determination R 2 values of 0.92–0.94. They were strongly correlated to each other (R 2 values of 0.95–0.98) and agreed fairly well for temporal changes of LAIe during the summer and the insect defoliation (R 2 values of 0.82–0.95). Counting of first and last echoes produced penetration rates close to the gap fraction, and this penetration variable was able to penetrate tree crowns. Ground-only echoes represented mostly between-tree gaps, and canopy-first-ground-last pulses represented mostly within-canopy gaps. However, the penetration variables based on first and last echoes suffered from the problem that a second echo might be impaired both in low and in tall canopies. In low canopies, two adjacent echoes from the same pulse would be too close in time to be separated by the sensor, while in tall canopies the pulse might apparently be fragmented down through the canopy. The intensity-based penetration variables needed to be supplemented with reflectance values, or at least the ratio between reflectance of the canopy and the ground, and this ratio was estimated from the data. The study demonstrated that one might be able to distinguish between disturbance types, e.g. between defoliation and cutting, by comparing alternative ALS penetration variables. Insect defoliation was dominated by an increase in within-canopy gaps and, correspondingly, the fraction of partly penetrating canopy-first-ground-last pulses. Tree removals from cutting were dominated by increases in between-tree gaps and the corresponding fraction of ground-only pulses.

Til dokument

Sammendrag

The aim of this study is to use airborne laser scanning (ALS) data to simulate synthetic aperture radar interferometry (InSAR) elevation data [digital elevation model (DEM)] from the spatial distribution of scatterers. A Shuttle Radar Topography Mission X-band DEM data set and an ALS data set from a spruce-dominated forest area are used. A 3-D grid of voxels is made from the spatial distribution of ALS first echoes. The slant angle penetration rate of the SAR microwaves (P-SAR) is simulated to be a function of the vertical ALS penetration rate (P-ALS), i.e., P-SAR = P-ALS(4). The InSAR DEM and heights above the ground are fairly well reproduced by the simulator. A total least squares regression model between the simulated and measured InSAR DEMs has an R-2 value of 0.99 and a slope of 1 : 1. By subtracting the ALS-based terrain heights (digital terrain model), we obtained InSAR heights, which were reproduced with an R-2 value of 0.78, a slope of 0.96, and a root-mean-square error of 2.3 m. With the simulator, it was demonstrated how a disturbance event would affect the InSAR height. Unfortunately, the relationship was curvilinear and concave, which means that the method is not very sensitive to weak disturbances. This might be partly overcome by using a more vertical incidence angle of the SAR microwaves. The simulator might be used for validation or ground truthing of the InSAR data, as well as gaining understanding of how vegetation changes affect the InSAR data.

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Sammendrag

The suitability of interferometric X-band radar for forest monitoring was investigated. Working in a spruce-dominated forest in southeast Norway, top height, mean height, stand density, stem volume, and biomass were related to space shuttle interferometric height above ground. A ground truth dataset was produced for each radar data pixel in the study area by combining a field inventory and automatic tree detection with airborne laser scanning data. Pixels were aggregated to forest stands. Interferometric height was strongly related to all of the five forest variables, and most strongly to top height with R-2 = 0.71 and RMSE = 13% at the pixel level and R-2 = 0.82 and RMSE = 5.6% at the stand level. Interferometric height was linearly related to stem volume and biomass up to 400 m(3)/ha and 200 t/ha, respectively, and RMSE was approximately 19% for both variables. These errors contain error components caused by the 3.5-year time lag between the radar acquisition and the laser scanning. It is concluded that interferometric X-band radar has potential for use in forest monitoring.

Sammendrag

The airborne laser scanning (ALS) penetration rate, i.e. the ratio of ground echoes to total echoes, is a proxy for gap fraction. Hence, ALS has a potential for monitoring forest properties that are related to gap fraction, such as leaf area index, canopy cover and disturbance. Furthermore, two gap types may be distinguished: While a pulse that only produces a ground echo most likely hit a large, between-tree gap, a pulse that produces a ground echo as the last of several returns most likely hit smaller, within-canopy gaps. This may be utilized to distinguish between disturbance types such as defoliation and tree removal. However, the ALS penetration rate needs to be calibrated with gap fraction measurements in the field, because it is influenced by technical properties of the acquisition. The aim of this study was to quantify the magnitude of this influence, by comparing repeated acquisitions with different technical specifications. We had at hand 12 ALS acquisitions which could be combined into six pairs, from four spruce and pine dominated forests in Norway. We established 20x20 m grids, and for each grid cell we extracted three penetration variables: first echo penetration, last-of-many echo penetration, and total (i.e., first and last echo). We log-transformed the penetration variables (P1 and P2) from two laser acquisitions, and fitted the no-intercept, linear model log(P1) = log(P2), applying total least squares regression analysis. In a majority of the cases, the penetration variables were very similar, i.e. they deviated by <10%. For the first echo penetration the slopes varied from 0.87 to 1.07 and the R2 values ranged between 0.91 and 0.99. For the last-of-many echo penetration, there was generally weaker correspondence with slopes varying from 0.78 to 1.02, and R2 values ranging from 0.60 to 0.94. Finally, for the total penetration there was again stronger agreement with slopes in the range 0.83-1.03 and R2 values from 0.88 to 0.99. In conclusion, it seems that the penetration ability of different ALS scans in many cases are very similar, and further research may reveal ranges of standardized settings for which field inventory can be redundant.

Sammendrag

In European forests, standing stocks are currently higher than ever during the last decades, in part due to reduced logging or the abandonment of agricultural land. However, data from intensive monitoring plots reveal an increased growth even without direct human intervention.We used a set of 363 plots from 16 European countries to investigate the influence of environmental factors on forest growth: nitrogen, sulphur and acid deposition, temperature, precipitation and drought, for Norway spruce, Scots pine, common beech and European as well as sessile oak.We used existing information on site productivity, stand age and stand density to estimate expected growth. Relative tree growth, i.e., the ratio between actual growth within a five-year period and expected growth, was then related to environmental factors in a stepwise multiple regression.The results consistently indicate a fertilizing effect from nitrogen deposition, with roughly one percent increase in site productivity per kg of nitrogen deposition per ha and year, or 20 kg C fixation per kg N deposition. This was most pronounced for plots having soil C/N ratios above 25. We also found a positive albeit less clear relationship between relative growth and summer temperatures.From the study, we cannot conclude on any detrimental effects on growth from sulphur and acid deposition or from drought periods. A very recent study from the U.S., comprising 4800 plots and 24 tree species, confirms our results. However, we also show that the magnitude of N deposition effects on global forest C balance is currently a highly controversial matter, and comment on this debate. http://www.cef-cfr.ca/uploads/Colloque/Programme10_5.pdf

Sammendrag

Hogstavfall er nøkkelen til økt satsing på bioenergi i Norge. Men vil dette påvirke bærekraften i skogøkosystemet og skogproduksjonen? Blir skogsjorda mer næringsfattig? Endres sammensetningen av arter i vegetasjonen? Vil artsmangfoldet bli redusert? Blir det mindre av de soppene som bryter ned planterester? Dette er noen av spørsmålene vi prøver å besvare gjennom prosjektet «Økologiske virkninger av økt biomasseuttak fra skog i Norge» (ECOBREM), som varer fra 2009 til 2013.

Sammendrag

Grana avslutter normalt strekningsveksten midtsommers, og begynner forberedelsene til høsten og vinteren. Av og til kan en imidlertid se at knoppene som dannes etter vekstavslutningen bryter på nytt senere samme sommer, og treet utvikler høstskudd. Dette pågår utover sensommeren og tidlig høst, og resulterer i en forsinket vekstavslutning og innvintring. Det nye skuddet tåler lite frost så lenge det er i aktiv vekst, og risikoen for frostskader på høsten øker derfor. Forsinket innvintring kan også resultere i dårligere vinterherdighet, og øke risikoen for frostskader gjennom vinteren.

Sammendrag

De siste årene har det blitt rapportert om stedvis kraftige angrep av gransnutebiller i foryngelsesfelt på Vestlandet og i Trøndelagsfylkene. Vi ønsket derfor å gjennomføre en undersøkelse av snutebilleskader i felt på Vestlandet og i Trøndelag. Til sammen 50 flater i kystfylkene Rogaland, Hordaland, Sogn og Fjordane, Møre og Romsdal, Sør-Trøndelag og Nord-Trøndelag ble undersøkt høsten 2009. Disse var plantet til i 2008 eller 2009, og det hadde ikke gått mer enn to sesonger siden hogst ved tilplantingen. På hvert felt ble alle kulturplantene på 20 sirkelflater á 20 m2 undersøkt for snutebillegnag og andre skader, og vitaliteten ble bedømt i fire klasser. For hvert felt ble variabler som høyde over havet, flatestørrelse, helling, eksposisjon og plantetype registrert.....

Sammendrag

Understanding the feedback between terrestrial biosphere processes and meteorological drivers is crucial to ecosystem research as well as management. For example, remote sensing of the activity of vegetation in relation to environmental conditions provides an invaluable basis for investigating the spatiotemporal dynamics and patterns of variability. We investigate the Fraction of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fAPAR) using SeaWiFS satellite observations from 1998 to 2005 and ancillary meteorological variables from the CRU-PIK dataset. To what extent do precipitation and temperature dominate the terrestrial photosynthetic activity on monthly to interannual time scales? A spectral decomposition using Singular System Analysis leads to a global ‘classification’ of the terrestrial biosphere according to prevalent time-scale dependent dynamics of fAPAR and its relation to the meteorology. A complexity analysis and a combined subsignal extraction and dimensionality reduction reveals a series of dominant geographical gradients, separately for different time scales. Here, we differentiate between three time scales: on short time scales (compared to the annual cycle), variations in fAPAR coincide with corresponding precipitation dynamics. At the annual scale, which explains around 50% of the fAPAR variability as a global average, patterns largely resemble the biomes of the world as mapped by biogeographic methods.At longer time scales, spatially coherent patterns emerge which are induced by precipitation and temperature fluctuations combined. However, we can also identify regions where the variability of fAPAR on specific time scales cannot be traced back to climate and is apparently shaped by other geoecological or anthropogenic drivers. http://uregina.ca/prairies/assets/Prairie_Summit_Final_Program.pdf