Using CubeSats imagery, Michael Alonzo, a researcher at American University, and his group looked at the role of heat in the early onset of the metropolitan forest growing season. This is due to the fact that previous studies used satellite images with poorer quality.
The research study was published in the journal Science of the Total Environment.
Cities are packed with a mix and varied plant life, from trees to shrubs to turfgrass. Pixelated images, the ones utilized up until now, do not enable researchers to study the species individually or to track modifications on an everyday basis. Thats no longer a limitation with CubeSats, enabling researchers to see how leaves develop day after day.
Alonzo and his group utilized CubeSats images for growing seasons from 2018 and 2020, covering over 10,000 tree crowns on streets in Washington DC. The sample consisted of 29 species of broadleaf, leaf-shedding trees. The researchers pieced together the satellite images and monitored the timing of green up and leaf loss in the succumb to every tree.
They then examined how much the length of a trees growing season could be credited to its types and just how much to its location. They also factored in how other factors such as air temperature and resistant surface cover influenced these timing. While the findings are just for Washington DC, they can apply to other urban and non-urban locations, Alonzo stated.
Up next, the researchers highlighted the importance of further studying how types structure changes between rural and urban areas. This would allow scientists to enhance their models of how trees and other plant life react to heat. Alonzo is now preparing to work with scientists in Nigeria and Haiti to apply CubeSats images to monitor changes in farming and forests.
Using satellite innovation, previous studies have revealed trees in cities green up earlier and lose leaves later compared to those in natural and rural areas. Its like the seasons are moving– and scientists have largely associated this to heat. Alonzos brand-new research study is calling this into question.
The images from cubesats are detailed enough to select out specific trees, which uses much richer insight into greenery development across the planet.
Comparison of moderate resolution image with image using Cubesats technology Image credits: Michael Alonzo.
Urban heat and satellite technology.
The city heat island effect happens when impervious surfaces such as concrete and asphalt trap and radiate heat, causing city temperature levels to be two or 3 degrees Celsius greater than in non-urban areas. Studying this phenomenon offers scientists a preview of how climate modification may affect overall plant life in non-urban areas.
“Heat plays a role but we may be overstating its importance,” he said in a declaration.
Advancements in high-resolution imaging, helped with by CubeSats– shoebox-sized gadgets released in low-Earth orbit– are enhancing researchers ability to obtain accurate measurements about trees response to a warming environment.
“If we wish to learn whether a given species or plant is changing its life cycle events due to warming, we require to do a much better task focusing on individuals and how they engage,” Alonzo said in a statement.
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Using CubeSats images, Michael Alonzo, a scientist at American University, and his group looked at the role of heat in the early beginning of the city forest growing season. This is due to the fact that previous research studies utilized satellite images with poorer quality. Pixelated images, the ones used so far, dont allow scientists to study the species individually or to track changes on an everyday basis. Alonzo and his team used CubeSats images for growing seasons from 2018 and 2020, covering over 10,000 tree crowns on streets in Washington DC. The researchers pieced together the satellite images and kept track of the timing of green up and leaf loss in the fall for every tree.
