HR: 0800h
AN: B41B-0192    [Abstracts]
TI: Interannual variability in North American grassland biomass/productivity detected by SeaWinds scatterometer backscatter
AU: Frolking, S
EM: steve.frolking@unh.edu
AF: University of New Hampshire, Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans, and Space, Durham, NH 03824 United States
AU: * Fahnestock, M
EM: mark.fahnestock@unh.edu
AF: University of New Hampshire, Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans, and Space, Durham, NH 03824 United States
AU: Milliman, T
EM: thomas.milliman@unh.edu
AF: University of New Hampshire, Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans, and Space, Durham, NH 03824 United States
AU: McDonald, K
EM: kyle.mcdonald@jpl.nasa.gov
AF: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109-8099 United States
AU: Kimball, J S
EM: johnk@ntsg.umt.edu
AF: University of Montana, Flathead Lake Biological Station, Polson, MT 59860-9659 United States
AB: We analyzed 2000-2004 growing-season SeaWinds Ku-band microwave backscatter and MODIS leaf area index (LAI) data over North America. Large anomalies in mid-growing-season mean backscatter and LAI, relative to 5-year mean values, occurred primarily in the western Great Plains, and backscatter and LAI anomalies had similar spatial patterns across this region. Closer examination of backscatter, LAI, and precipitation data for three c. 10³ km² regions in the western Great Plains showed a strong correlation between backscatter and LAI time series (r² = 0.6 - 0.8), and variability in mid-growing season values was well-correlated with annual precipitation (October through September). The results indicate that SeaWinds backscatter is sensitive to interannual variability in grassland biomass/productivity, and can provide an assessment that is completely independent of optical/near-infrared remote sensing instruments.
DE: 0439 Ecosystems, structure and dynamics (4815)
DE: 0480 Remote sensing
DE: 1616 Climate variability (1635, 3305, 3309, 4215, 4513)
SC: Biogeosciences [B]
MN: Fall Meeting 2005