HR: 11:20h
AN: B42B-04    [Abstracts]
TI: Forest Canopy Characterization on the Eastern Shore of Virginia Using SRTM Data.
AU: * Weinmann, R A
EM: raw8v@virginia.edu
AF: Department of Environmental Sciences University of Virginia, 291 McCormick Rd PO Box 400123, Charlottesville, VA 22904-4123, United States
AU: Shugart, H H
EM: hhs@virginia.edu
AF: Department of Environmental Sciences University of Virginia, 291 McCormick Rd PO Box 400123, Charlottesville, VA 22904-4123, United States
AB: Accurate land cover classifications are necessary for many environmental studies and models. On complex mosaic landscapes, like that of the eastern shore of Virginia, it is particularly important to be able to accurately represent land cover classes and structures. As part of the study looking at land use change on the eastern shore of Virginia, forest canopy heights and structure were derived for the area using a combination of SRTM, remotely sensed and modeled data. Canopy height was calculated using SRTM and the USGS 2-Arc-Second DEM. Further classification and characterization of the forest canopy was made using a decision tree with additional remotely sensed and modeled data. This simple and quick technique gave a relatively accurate first order characterization of the forest canopy of the eastern shore at a suitable resolution and scale for a regional study of this kind. The results of this forest canopy characterization compare favorably to what is seen on the ground, as well as other datasets for the area. This technique appears to be a simple and effective method for estimating canopy structure with sufficient accuracy to populate models and datasets for regional and large area studies of this kind.
DE: 0439 Ecosystems, structure and dynamics (4815)
DE: 0452 Instruments and techniques
DE: 0480 Remote sensing
SC: Biogeosciences [B]
MN: 2007 Fall Meeting