At a recent “bake-off,” researchers judged thermal infrared cameras and developed guidelines for their consistent use in studying vegetation temperatures, which illuminate vital ecosystem processes.
forests
Posted inNews
Megadroughts Have Grown in Size and Scope
A new study maps and ranks the largest, longest-lasting, and most severe multiyear droughts from 1980 to 2018.
Posted inNews
Boreal Forests May Be on the Move
A new model shows a tendency for tree cover to decline in warmer areas and increase in colder ones.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Logjams Promote Floodplain Complexity and Hydraulic Resistance
Using a new model, scientists compare logjam hydraulic impact across 37 reaches observed over 11 years in the Colorado Rockies.
Posted inNews
Mobile Bay Has More Branching Brooks Than Shown on Federal Maps
A more accurate charting of the full extent of stream networks will help land managers better protect U.S. creeks and rivers.
Posted inNews
Snowmelt Sends Caribou Packing
Researchers compared caribou tracking data with satellite observations to learn whether snowpack conditions trigger the animals’ arduous annual migration.
Posted inNews
Why Wildfires Started by Humans, Cars and Power Lines Can Be More Destructive and Harder to Contain
While climate change sets the stage for larger and more intense fires, humans are actively fanning the flames.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Improvements to Measuring the Ups and Downs of the Landscape
If you are a jazz fan, you may be familiar with Ella Fitzgerald singing ‘How deep is the ocean, how high is the sky’. Using data from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission we now know how high the land really is.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Spectral Solar Radiative Transfer in Plant Canopies
Spectrally resolved radiative transfer is needed to compute reliable estimates of sunlight transmission and photolysis of molecules within plant canopies.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Understanding Carbon-Water Tradeoffs in Pacific Northwest Forests
A new study documents how spruce forests differing in management and age structure influence individual tree growth, carbon stocks, and landscape-water balance in the Pacific Northwest.