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A global coalition, which includes Assistant Professor Liling Chang from Department of Geography at Florida State University, has released a study pinpointing crucial environmental elements that influence the height of tropical forest canopies. The research offers valuable perspectives on forecasting how tropical forests might respond to forthcoming environmental shifts.

Canopy height serves as an essential metric for assessing the health of forest ecosystems, affecting various factors such as drought resilience, tree death rates, species diversity, and carbon sequestration. The study, published in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), employs data gathered from NASA’s Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI), a satellite-based Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) tool positioned on the International Space Station.

“The Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation mission delivers groundbreaking datasets and an original methodology for analyzing ecosystem structure in three dimensions, ranging from regional to nearly global perspectives,” Chang remarked. “Our results deepen our comprehension of how tropical forests react to environmental pressures, which is vital for conservation and climate adaptation initiatives.”

“Our results deepen our comprehension of how tropical forests react to environmental pressures, which is vital for conservation and climate adaptation initiatives.”

– Assistant Professor Liling Chang, Department of Geography

The research group discovered that approximately 75% of the variance in tropical forest canopy height is linked to climate, terrain, and soil properties. Furthermore, the study indicated that altitude, duration of the dry season, and solar energy are significant factors affecting canopy height across tropical forests.

These revelations can aid in shaping sustainable forestry management strategies on a worldwide scale by pinpointing vulnerabilities in tropical forests, such as the increasing length of the dry season in the Southern Amazon.

Grasping the aspects that dictate canopy height is vital for accurate assessments of carbon storage and detailed carbon accounting in ecosystem models. This knowledge can assist in identifying regions appropriate for long-term carbon storage and climate resilience efforts.

For more information about the Department of Geography within the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, visit cosspp.fsu.edu/geography.

The article FSU researcher uses NASA satellite data to reveal global patterns in tropical forest canopy height was originally published on Florida State University News.

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