Background: Reliable information about the spatial distribution of aboveground biomass (AGB) in tropical forests is fundamental for climate change mitigation and for maintaining carbon stocks. Recent AGB maps at continental and national scales have shown large uncertainties, particularly in tropical areas with high AGB values. Errors in AGB maps are linked to the quality of plot data used to calibrate remote sensing products, and the ability of radar data to map high AGB forest. Here we suggest an approach to improve the accuracy of AGB maps and test this approach with a case study of the tropical forests of the Yucatan peninsula, where the accuracy of AGB mapping is lower than other forest types in Mexico. To reduce the errors in field data, National Forest Inventory (NFI) plots were corrected to consider small trees. Temporal differences between NFI plots and imagery acquisition were addressed by considering biomass changes over time. To overcome issues related to saturation of radar backscatter, we incorporate radar texture metrics and climate data to improve the accuracy of AGB maps. Finally, we increased the number of sampling plots using biomass estimates derived from LiDAR data to assess if increasing sample size could improve the accuracy of AGB estimates. Results: Correcting NFI plot data for both small trees and temporal differences between field and remotely sensed measurements reduced the relative error of biomass estimates by 12.2%. Using a machine learning algorithm, Random Forest, with corrected field plot data, backscatter and surface texture from the L-band synthetic aperture radar (PALSAR) installed on the on the Advanced Land Observing Satellite-1 (ALOS), and climatic water deficit data improved the accuracy of the maps obtained in this study as compared to previous studies (R 2 = 0.44 vs R 2 = 0.32). However, using sample plots derived from LiDAR data to increase sample size did not improve accuracy of AGB maps (R 2 = 0.26). Conclusions: This study reveals that the suggested approach has the potential to improve AGB maps of tropical dry forests and shows predictors of AGB that should be considered in future studies. Our results highlight the importance of using ecological knowledge to correct errors associated with both the plot-level biomass estimates and the mismatch between field and remotely sensed data.
Accurate estimates of above ground biomass (AGB) are needed for monitoring carbon in tropical forests. LiDAR data can provide precise AGB estimations because it can capture the horizontal and vertical structure of vegetation. However, the accuracy of AGB estimations from LiDAR is affected by a co-registration error between LiDAR data and field plots resulting in spatial discrepancies between LiDAR and field plot data. Here, we evaluated the impacts of plot location error and plot size on the accuracy of AGB estimations predicted from LiDAR data in two types of tropical dry forests in Yucatán, México. We sampled woody plants of three size classes in 29 nested plots (80 m2, 400 m2 and 1000 m2) in a semi-deciduous forest (Kiuic) and 28 plots in a semi-evergreen forest (FCP) and estimated AGB using local allometric equations. We calculated several LiDAR metrics from airborne data and used a Monte Carlo simulation approach to assess the influence of plot location errors (2 to 10 m) and plot size on ABG estimations from LiDAR using regression analysis. Our results showed that the precision of AGB estimations improved as plot size increased from 80 m2 to 1000 m2 (R2 = 0.33 to 0.75 and 0.23 to 0.67 for Kiuic and FCP respectively). We also found that increasing GPS location errors resulted in higher AGB estimation errors, especially in the smallest sample plots. In contrast, the largest plots showed consistently lower estimation errors that varied little with plot location error. We conclude that larger plots are less affected by co-registration error and vegetation conditions, highlighting the importance of selecting an appropriate plot size for field forest inventories used for estimating biomass.
The urgency to preserve tropical forest remnants has encouraged the development of remote sensing tools and techniques to monitor diverse forest attributes for management and conservation. State-of-the-art methodologies for mapping and tracking these attributes usually achieve accuracies greater than 0.8 for forest cover monitoring; r-square values of ~0.5–0.7 for plant diversity, vegetation structure, and plant functional trait mapping, and overall accuracies of ~0.8 for categorical maps of forest attributes. Nonetheless, existing operational tropical forest monitoring systems only track single attributes at national to global scales. For the design and implementation of effective and integrated tropical forest monitoring systems, we recommend the integration of multiple data sources and techniques for monitoring structural, functional, and compositional attributes. We also recommend its decentralized implementation for adjusting methods to local climatic and ecological characteristics and for proper end-user engagement. The operationalization of the system should be based on all open-source computing platforms, leveraging international support in research and development and ensuring direct and constant user engagement. We recommend continuing the efforts to address these multiple challenges for effective monitoring.
Knowledge of the spatial distribution of aboveground biomass (AGB) is crucial to guide forest conservation and management to maintain carbon stocks. LiDAR has been highly successful for this purpose, but has limited availability. Very-high resolution (<1 m) orthophotos can also be used to estimate AGB because they allow a fine distinction of forest canopy grain. We evaluated the separate and joint performance of orthophotos and LiDAR data to estimate AGB in two types of tropical dry forests in the Yucatan Peninsula. Woody plants were surveyed in twenty 0.1 ha plots in a semideciduous forest at Kaxil Kiuic Biocultural Reserve (RBKK) and 28 plots in a semievergreen forest at Felipe Carrillo Puerto (FCP). We fitted three regression models: one based on LiDAR data, another based on orthophoto variables calculated for forest canopy and canopy opening fractions, and a third model that combined both sets of variables. Variation in AGB was decomposed into LiDAR, orthophotos and joint components using variation-partitioning analyses. In FCP, regression models using LiDAR data only showed higher fit (R2 = 0.82) than orthophoto variables only (R2 = 0.70). In contrast, orthophotos had a slightly higher fit (R2 = 0.91) than LiDAR (R2 = 0.88) in RBKK, because orthophoto variables characterize very well the horizontal structure of canopies on this site. The model that combined both data sets showed a better fit (R2 = 0.85) only in FCP, which has a more complex forest structure. The largest percentage of AGB variation (88 per cent in RBKK and 67 per cent in FCP) was explained by the joint contribution of LiDAR and orthophotos. We conclude that both LiDAR and orthophotos provide accurate estimation of AGB, but their relative performance varies with forest type and structural complexity. Combining the two sets of variables can further improve the accuracy of AGB estimation, particularly in forests with complex vegetation structure.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.