The NASA/University of Maryland Vegetation Canopy Lidar (VCL) mission will create the first maps of the three-dimensional structure of vegetation in the world's forests. VCL is scheduled for launch in September 2000. The mission is the first selected program of NASA's Earth System Science Pathfinder project. Science Objectives
Previous satellites have mapped vegetation area in great detail, but VCL will be the first to map the vertical dimension of a forest. Where the leafs and twigs and branches are within a forest how much is high in the canopy or near the ground in foliagechanges as a forest ages. These maps will provide a direct way to identify degraded areas, areas of regrowth, and intact forests. Biodiversity studies can use VCL's comprehensive assessment of forest structure and organization to identify and monitor important habitat areas. VCL will yield a 5-10 times improvement in estimates of forest canopy height, a measurement used to estimate total biomass. Biomass in forests represents the major reservoir of carbon in terrestrial ecosystems that can be quickly released by disturbance (such as wildfire) or land use change. Climate and weather forecasting models use approximations of surface cover in their calculations because the movement of the atmosphere and weather systems are influenced to some degree by the "texture" of land cover. Current estimates of surface cover, however, are based on very little data. VCL's direct measurements of canopy height and density over much of the world will be used in these models to represent more accurately the aerodynamic properties of the Earth's surface. Mission Overview
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Vegetation Canopy
Lidar Top Left: The Vegetation Canopy Lidar (VCL) satellite. Due to launch in
the fall of 2000, VCL will provide information about the age, density, and complexity of
forests around the world. (Image by Eric F. Pfleckl, Orbital Sciences Corporation)
Bottom Left: The Laser Vegetation Imaging Sensor (LVIS), flown aboard an aircraft,
helped test the technologies to be used in VCL. (Image courtesy NASA GSFC Scientific Visualization Studio) |
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