[Enwl-eng] Vegetation Declining in the Eastern US
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Mar 7, 2013, 4:48:45 PM3/7/13
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*NASA Eyes Declining Vegetation In The Eastern United States From 2000
To 2010*
by Staff Writers
Moffett Field CA (SPX) Mar 04, 2013
Trends in forest canopy green cover over the eastern United States from
2000 to 2010 derived from NASA MODIS satellite sensor data. Green shades
indicate a positive trend of increasing growing season green cover,
whereas brown shades indicate a negative trend of decreasing growing
season green cover. Four forest sub-regions of interest are outlined in
red, north to south as: Great Lakes, Southern Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic,
and southeastern Coastal Plain. Image credit: NASA. For a larger version
of this image please go here.
NASA scientists report that warmer temperatures and changes in
precipitation locally and regionally have altered the growth of large
forest areas in the eastern United States over the past 10 years.
Using NASA's Terra satellite, scientists examined the relationship
between natural plant growth trends, as monitored by NASA satellite
images, and variations in climate over the eastern United States from
2000 to 2010.
Monthly satellite images from the MODerate resolution Imaging
Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) showed
declining density of the green forest cover during summer in four
sub-regions, the Upper Great Lakes, southern Appalachian, mid-Atlantic,
and southeastern Coastal Plain.
More than 20 percent of the non-agricultural area in the four
sub-regions that showed decline during the growing season, were covered
by forests. Nearly 40 percent of the forested area within the
mid-Atlantic sub-region alone showed a significant decline in forest
canopy cover.
"We looked next at the relationships between warmer temperatures,
rainfall patterns, and reduced forest greenness across these regions,"
said Christopher Potter, a research scientist at NASA's Ames Research
Center, Moffett Field, Calif.
"This comprehensive data set gave us the evidence to conclude that a
series of relatively dry years since 2000 has been unfavorable for
vigorous growth of forest cover over much of the Eastern US this past
decade."
Potter is the first author of the paper titled "Declining Vegetation
Growth Rates in the Eastern United States from 2000 to 2010," published
by Natural Resources, Dec. 2012, (3), 184-190.
In the past, scientists were uncertain about what was causing the
changes in the forests in the eastern U. S. Based on small-scale field
site measurements since 1970, forest growth was thought to be increasing
in regions where soil nutrients and water were in good supply.
At the same time, there were fewer wildfires throughout the eastern
U.S., which scientists believe contributed to the transformation of more
open lands into closed-canopy forests with more shade-tolerant,
fire-sensitive plants.
More recent studies indicate that climate change could be having many
adverse and interrelated impacts on the region. The warming climate this
century has caused new stresses on trees, such as insect pest outbreaks
and the introduction of new pathogens.
Scientists consider both climate change and disease to be dominant
driving forces affecting the health of forests in this region.
NASA's technology is revealing an entirely new picture of these complex
impacts. The MODIS satellite captures very broad regional patterns of
change in forests, wetlands, and grasslands by continuous monitoring of
the natural plant cover over extended time periods.
Now, with over a decade of "baseline" data to show how trees typically
go through a yearly cycle of leaves blooming, summer growth, and leaves
falling, scientists are detecting subtle deviations from the average
cycle to provide early warning signs of change at the resolution of a
few miles for the entire country.
"The next studies at NASA Ames will research areas that appear most
affected by drought and warming to map out changes in forest growth at a
resolution of several acres," said Potter.
This research was conducted under the National Climate Assessment as
part of the United States Global Change Research Act of 1990.
http://www.terradaily.com/reports/NASA_Eyes_Declining_Vegetation_In_The_Eastern_United_States_From_2000_To_2010_999.html
*** NOTICE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this
material is distributed, without profit, for research and educational
purposes only. ***
From: "Yahoo Newsgroups" <vasi...@ramapo.edu>
Sent: Thursday, March 07, 2013 1:30 PM
Subject: News: Vegetation Declining in the Eastern US
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To 2010*
by Staff Writers
Moffett Field CA (SPX) Mar 04, 2013
Trends in forest canopy green cover over the eastern United States from
2000 to 2010 derived from NASA MODIS satellite sensor data. Green shades
indicate a positive trend of increasing growing season green cover,
whereas brown shades indicate a negative trend of decreasing growing
season green cover. Four forest sub-regions of interest are outlined in
red, north to south as: Great Lakes, Southern Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic,
and southeastern Coastal Plain. Image credit: NASA. For a larger version
of this image please go here.
NASA scientists report that warmer temperatures and changes in
precipitation locally and regionally have altered the growth of large
forest areas in the eastern United States over the past 10 years.
Using NASA's Terra satellite, scientists examined the relationship
between natural plant growth trends, as monitored by NASA satellite
images, and variations in climate over the eastern United States from
2000 to 2010.
Monthly satellite images from the MODerate resolution Imaging
Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) showed
declining density of the green forest cover during summer in four
sub-regions, the Upper Great Lakes, southern Appalachian, mid-Atlantic,
and southeastern Coastal Plain.
More than 20 percent of the non-agricultural area in the four
sub-regions that showed decline during the growing season, were covered
by forests. Nearly 40 percent of the forested area within the
mid-Atlantic sub-region alone showed a significant decline in forest
canopy cover.
"We looked next at the relationships between warmer temperatures,
rainfall patterns, and reduced forest greenness across these regions,"
said Christopher Potter, a research scientist at NASA's Ames Research
Center, Moffett Field, Calif.
"This comprehensive data set gave us the evidence to conclude that a
series of relatively dry years since 2000 has been unfavorable for
vigorous growth of forest cover over much of the Eastern US this past
decade."
Potter is the first author of the paper titled "Declining Vegetation
Growth Rates in the Eastern United States from 2000 to 2010," published
by Natural Resources, Dec. 2012, (3), 184-190.
In the past, scientists were uncertain about what was causing the
changes in the forests in the eastern U. S. Based on small-scale field
site measurements since 1970, forest growth was thought to be increasing
in regions where soil nutrients and water were in good supply.
At the same time, there were fewer wildfires throughout the eastern
U.S., which scientists believe contributed to the transformation of more
open lands into closed-canopy forests with more shade-tolerant,
fire-sensitive plants.
More recent studies indicate that climate change could be having many
adverse and interrelated impacts on the region. The warming climate this
century has caused new stresses on trees, such as insect pest outbreaks
and the introduction of new pathogens.
Scientists consider both climate change and disease to be dominant
driving forces affecting the health of forests in this region.
NASA's technology is revealing an entirely new picture of these complex
impacts. The MODIS satellite captures very broad regional patterns of
change in forests, wetlands, and grasslands by continuous monitoring of
the natural plant cover over extended time periods.
Now, with over a decade of "baseline" data to show how trees typically
go through a yearly cycle of leaves blooming, summer growth, and leaves
falling, scientists are detecting subtle deviations from the average
cycle to provide early warning signs of change at the resolution of a
few miles for the entire country.
"The next studies at NASA Ames will research areas that appear most
affected by drought and warming to map out changes in forest growth at a
resolution of several acres," said Potter.
This research was conducted under the National Climate Assessment as
part of the United States Global Change Research Act of 1990.
http://www.terradaily.com/reports/NASA_Eyes_Declining_Vegetation_In_The_Eastern_United_States_From_2000_To_2010_999.html
*** NOTICE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this
material is distributed, without profit, for research and educational
purposes only. ***
From: "Yahoo Newsgroups" <vasi...@ramapo.edu>
Sent: Thursday, March 07, 2013 1:30 PM
Subject: News: Vegetation Declining in the Eastern US
------------- * ENWL * ------------
Ecological North West Line * St. Petersburg, Russia
Independent Environmental Net Service: http://www.bellona.ru/enwl/
Russian: ENWL(discussions), ENWL-inf(FSU information), ENWL-misc(any topics)
English: ENWL-eng (world information)
en...@lew.spb.org, enwl...@lew.spb.org, en...@lew.spb.org, en...@lew.spb.org
Subscription, Moderator: vf...@lew.spb.org or en...@enw.net.ru
Archive: http://enwl.bellona.ru/pipermail/
and http://groups.google.com/group/enwl/
SEE ALSO: http://www.bellona.org (English)and http://www.bellona.ru
(Russian)
RSS: http://groups.google.ru/group/enwl/feeds?hl=ru
(C) Please refer to exclusive articles of ENWL
-------------------------------------
ONLY if your address is subscribed:
Enwl-eng mailing list
Enwl...@enwl.bellona.ru
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