Nea Kuusinen

Physiology of the seasonal relationship between the photochemical reflectance index and photosynthetic light use efficiency

The photochemical reflectance index (PRI) is regarded as a promising proxy to track the dynamics of photosynthetic light use efficiency (LUE) via remote sensing. The implementation of this approach requires the relationship between PRI and LUE to scale not only in space but also in time. The short-term relationship between PRI and LUE is well known and is based on the regulative process of non-photochemical quenching (NPQ), but at the seasonal timescale the mechanisms behind the relationship remain unclear. We examined to what extent sustained forms of NPQ, photoinhibition of reaction centres, seasonal changes in leaf pigment concentrations, or adjustments in the capacity of alternative energy sinks affect the seasonal relationship between PRI and LUE during the year in needles of boreal Scots pine. PRI and NPQ were highly correlated during most of the year but decoupled in early spring when the foliage was deeply downregulated. This phenomenon was attributed to differences in the physiological mechanisms controlling the seasonal dynamics of PRI and NPQ. Seasonal adjustments in the pool size of the xanthophyll cycle pigments, on a chlorophyll basis, controlled the dynamics of PRI, whereas the xanthophyll de-epoxidation status and other xanthophyll-independent mechanisms controlled the dynamics of NPQ at the seasonal timescale. We conclude that the PRI leads to an underestimation of NPQ, and consequently overestimation of LUE, under conditions of severe stress in overwintering Scots pine, and most likely also in species experiencing severe drought. This severe stress-induced decoupling may challenge the implementation of the PRI approach.

Linear unmixing of MODIS albedo composites to infer subpixel land cover type albedos

Abstract We use a linear unmixing approach to test how land use and forestry maps, in combination with the MODIS BRDF/albedo product, can be used to estimate land cover type albedos in boreal regions. Operational land use maps from three test areas in Finland and Canada were used to test the method. The resulting endmember albedo estimates had low standard errors of the mean and were realistic for the main land cover types. The estimated albedos were fairly consistent with albedo measurements conducted with a telescope mast and pure pixel albedos. Problems with the method are the possible errors in the land cover maps, lack of good quality winter MODIS albedo composites and the mismatch between the MODIS pixels and the true observation area. The results emphasize the role of tree species as determinant of forest albedo. Comprehensive spatial and temporal measurements of land cover albedo are usually not possible with in situ mast measurements, and the spatial resolution of MODIS albedo product is often too low to allow direct comparison of pixel albedos and land cover types in areas with heterogeneous vegetation. Hence, and since local forestry maps exist for most temperate and boreal regions, we believe that the proposed method will be useful in estimating average regional land cover type albedos as well as in tracking changes in them.

Recent paludification rates and effects on total ecosystem carbon storage in two boreal peatlands of Northeast European Russia

Forest and peatland ecosystems constitute the two major carbon pools in the boreal region. We assess the evolution in total storage and partitioning of ecosystem carbon following recent paludification of forest into peatland at two sites in Northeast European Russia. Based on radiocarbon dating of basal peat and quantification of total ecosystem carbon storage, our results show that paludification rates and its consequences for carbon storage vary significantly between sites. A peatland expanding on ground with steeper slopes has experienced a slow lateral advance in recent times, about 2.6 m on average per century, whereas a peatland in flatter terrain has expanded much more rapidly, about 35 m on average per century. The total ecosystem carbon storage (sum of phytomass, top soil organics or peat, and 30 cm of underlying mineral soil) showed a long-term trend toward increased ecosystem C storage following the replacement of forest (mean value = 20.8 kg C/m2, range = 13.0–43.4 kg C/m2) by peatland (>100 kg C/m2 in the deepest peat deposits). However, the transitional stage in which the forest is replaced by the margin of the peatland results in a short-term decrease of carbon stored in the ecosystem with a mean loss of 7.5 kg C/m2. After the initiation of a peatland through paludification, a period of decades to centuries of peat accumulation is needed to compensate for the initial loss of carbon. In the short term, an intensification of the paludification process could lead to a loss of carbon stored in the boreal region.

Effects of field plot configurations on the uncertainties of ALS-assisted forest resource estimates

ABSTRACT The effects of field plot configurations on the uncertainties of plot-level forest resource estimates were analyzed using airborne laser scanner data, aerial photographs and field measurements. The aim was to select a field sample plot configuration that can be used for both large area and management inventories. Error estimates were evaluated at the plot level using six different training plot configurations. Additionally, separate plots with two different sizes were used for evaluation. Stem volume and five other forest resource characteristics were considered. The field measurement costs of the different plot configurations were also studied. RMSEs and mean deviations for airborne laser scanning ALS-assisted estimates were practically the same for the fixed radius plot, the two concentric plots and the angle count plot with a basal area factor of q = 1 for all three evaluation plot sizes. Angle count plots with basal area factors of q = 1.5 and 2 increased the RMSEs. For the former plot configurations, the RMSEs for the ALS-assisted estimates could be attributed to inaccuracy in the predicted relationships between the field data and ALS data, not to the training plot configuration. Tree measurements and costs can, therefore, be reduced from those of the Finnish management inventories without increasing RMSEs.