The Future of Remote Sensing Technologies in Detecting ...

The Future of Information Technologies in Detecting Environmental Change Anthony Janetos Heinz Center 16 December 2002 Land Use and Land Cover Global Map of Converted Areas Critical Environmental Issue • Changing Very Rapidly • Major Components of other issues such as: Food Security PAGE Agricultural Extent Source: PAGE Agroecosystems Report Water Management Wetlands, Dams, and Ramsar Sites in Africa Source: EarthTrends Water Management Freshwater Systems: Water Availability Runoff per person ( m3) <500 500-1,000 1,000-1,700 1,700-4000 4,000-10,000 >10,000 Major rivers No irrigated area Biodiversity Endemic Bird Areas and Centers of Plant Diversity in Forests Source: EarthTrends Outline of Talk • Main point: Monitoring land use change while developing ways to integrate data about specific ecosystem services will create new ways of detecting and measuring environmental change on a global, long term scale Outline of Talk • Background – Indicators – Capacities for new Technology • Current Capacity • The Future – What we want to monitor – What data exist and what new technologies are emerging – Combining data with new technologies Background • Indicators – Land Use – Land Cover • Indicators of land use and land cover need to be determined because land use and land cover are themselves important indicators of the extent and status of the world’s ecosystem • Capacity – What is our capacity for monitoring in Developed and Developing Countries? Capacity in Developed Countries • Historically, developed countries have conducted monitoring surveys to keep track of goods that have a value in the market place like timber, agriculture, and certain wildlife game species. Source: USDA Forest Service Brochure, US Forest Facts and Historical Trends Capacity in Developed Countries Capacity in Developed Countries Source: USDA Farms and Land in Farms 2001 Capacity in Developing Countries • Systematic regular monitoring is rarely conducted because of cost limitations For example in the newest FAO Forest Resource Assessment, more than half the developing countries inventories used were either more than 10 years old or incomplete. Of the 137 developing countries surveyed for the 2000 report: • only 22 have systems for continuous forest monitoring. Of the remainder: • 43 have made single national forest inventories since 1990, and • 34 last made national forest inventories before 1990. • 33 countries have only a partial forest inventory, and • 28 are without any national forest inventory. Capacity in Developing Countries • In Cameroon and Gabon, there are not enough agents to adequately monitor forest concessions Cameroon Gabon The Present Interested in monitoring goods and services that do not enter the market place in addition to those we currently monitor. • • • • Carbon Storage Intact Habitat Nutrient Cycling Water Quality and Flow • Soil Quality • Air Quality • Etc. Carbon Storage Source: PAGE Grasslands Report Intact Habitat Change image Intactness map Global Grassland NPP Source: PAGE Grasslands Report 0 NPP (gC/mf year) 1500 Comparison of Amazon and South East Asia Deforestation Comparison of Amazon and South East Asia Deforestation Comparison of Amazon and South East Asia Deforestation • Amazon: 1978-1986 - deforestation rate around 6200 sq. miles/yr (1.8 x 106 ha/yr) 1986-1993 - fell to 4800 sq. miles/yr (1.4 x 106 ha/yr). South East Asia: 1970s - mid 1980s, 4800 sq. miles/year (1.4 x 106 ha/yr) of forest converted to agriculture or cut for timber. • 1975 1990 The Present Flux Tower • Today there are quite new technologies within the research community Source: UMBS Forest Carbon Cycle Research Program The Future • Integrate the new technologies with existing land cover monitoring systems to begin to monitor important ecosystem goods and services on a global scale Sophisticated high quality remote sensing technologies are advancing rapidly. Some of these include: LANDSAT 7, SPOT, and TERRA. LANDSAT 7 LANDSAT 7 Global Mosaic of Landsat 7 JPEG Images Source: NASA Spot Image Spot Satellite on its orbit India VEGETATION Map 2 April 1998 Source: www.spotimage.fr TERRA MODIS Land Gross Primary Production Terra Satellite Source: http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/ Global Data Collected from TERRA satellite Source: http://terra.nasa.gov/About/ Source: http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov The Future • Combine remotely sensed data with other kinds of data like administrative and economic data. Dunkley Lumber Ltd. Who is Logging? Issues With Current Systems • Expensive for those institutions and governments outside the developed world to use • Expensive to access and analyze data • Limited existing time series or baseline data Issues With Current Systems • Solutions to some of these issues can be found in two places: – Institutionally – Scientifically Institutionally • Developed countries should: – Strengthen commitments to develop and deploy new technologies that will be easily disseminated to developing countries and civil society – Establish a long term operational commitment to provide these data – Develop support mechanisms for developing countries and civil society to access and analyze the data Scientifically • Establish Baseline Data IGBP Forest Classes IGBP Forest Class Evergreen Needleleaf Forest Evergreen Broadleaf Forest Deciduous Needleleaf Forest Deciduous Broadleaf Forest Mixed Forest Non-vegetated Scientifically • Develop more time series Time series photos of an area south of Porto Velho, Brazil 1984 1986 1992 1996 2000 Source: Tropical Rain Forest Information Center, Basic Science and Remote Sensing Initiative Michigan State University Scientifically • Integrate remote sensing data with other measurable data to provide clearer picture Cereal Yield Trends + Cereal Nutrient Balances = Hot Spots and Bright Spots Source: PAGE Agroecosystems Report