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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 217 records · Page 12

Ecosystem leaf area, gross primary production, and evapotranspiration responses to wildfire in the Columbia River basin

Wildfires impact vegetation mortality and productivity and are increasing in intensity, frequency, and spatial area in the western United States. The rates of vegetation recovery after fires play a major role in the reestablishment of biomass and ecosystem functioning (e.g., structure, resilience, and productivity), but such recovery rates are poorly understood. Here we use remotely sensed data products from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) to quantify the resistance and resilience of leaf area index (LAI), gross primary production (GPP), and evapotranspiration (ET) to 138 wildfires of various burn severity across the Columbia River basin (CRB) of the Pacific Northwest in 2015. Increasing burn severity caused lower resistance and resilience for all three variables. Resistance and resilience are highest in grasslands, intermediate in savanna, and lowest in needleleaf evergreen forests, consistent with the adaptation of these vegetation types to fire. LAI has consistently lower resistance and resilience than GPP and ET, which is consistent with physical and physiological mechanisms that compensate for reduced LAI. Resilience is influenced by precipitation, vapor pressure deficit (VPD), and burn severity across all three vegetation types; however, burn severity plays a more minor role in grasslands. Increasing wildfire severity will reduce the resistance and resilience and lengthen the recovery time of vegetation structure and fluxes with climate change, with significant consequences for the provision of ecosystem functioning and implications for model predictions.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Iris-leaf core retainer for a surface drill

Iris-leaf core retainer insures retention of a complete sample within the drill string. Individual overlapping leaves will not rupture or tear out when they come in contact with the oncoming core.

Olivari, H.↗

Light reflectance of leaf constituents

It is shown how various leaf constituents differ in reflecting light over the 370- to 1100-nm wavelength interval. The premise tested is that refractive index discontinuities in leaves, other than air-cell interfaces, contribute to the reflectance of near-infrared light.-

Gausman, H. W.↗

A comparison of leaf epinasty induced by weightlessness or by clinostat rotation

A space flight experiment to determine the effect of weightlessness on the liminal angle of leaves of pepper as compared to the angles of leaves of central plants that rotate horizontally on an earth-based clinostat is evaluated. Copies of the Biosatellite II pepper plant flight film and of the clinostat central film were obtained, and an objective analysis of the information on these films is presented. Results confirm that epinastic leaf movements are characteristic in both orbital and clinostated pepper plants. Claims that the rotation on the clinostat produce the same effect as weightlessness are not supported by the pepper plant experiment.

Brown, A. H.↗

Circadian rhythm of leaf movement in Capsicum annuum observed during centrifugation

Plant circadian rhythms of leaf movement in seedlings of the pepper plant (Capsicum annuum L., var. Yolo Wonder) were observed at different g-levels by means of a centrifuge. Except for the chronically imposed g-force all environmental conditions to which the plants were exposed were held constant. The circadian period, rate of change of amplitude of successive oscillations, symmetry of the cycles, and phase of the rhythm all were found not to be significantly correlated with the magnitude of the sustained g-force.

Chapman, D. K.↗

Crop identification and leaf area index calculations with Landsat multitemporal data

Formulas are given to convert land-based vegetative canopy spectral reflectance measurements into Landsat digital counts in the four channels for a clear standard atmosphere. These formulas are shown to predict the curves found by plotting multitemporal Landsat trajectories. With correct interpretation, plots of channel 3 versus channel 4 Landsat data for crops are shown to yield information on both crop identification and crop leaf area index.

Chance, J. E.↗

Sonora exploratory study for the detection of wheat-leaf rust

The applicability of LANDSAT remote sensing technology to the detection of a wheat-leaf-rust epidemic in Sonora, Mexico, during 1977 was investigated. LANDSAT data acquired during crop years 1975-76 and 1976-77 were clustered, classified, and analyzed in order to detect agricultural changes. Analysis of 1977 data indicates a significant proportion of the identified wheat is stressed (potentially rust-infected). Additional analyses show a significant increase in fallowing during the year, as well as a substantial decrease in reservoir levels in the Sonora agricultural region. Ground observations are required to substantiate these analyses. The possibility exists that heat-rust is not LANDSAT detectable and that the clusters identified as containing stressed signatures represent different varieties of wheat or perhaps nonwheat crops.

Payne, R. W.↗

Coherent optical determination of the leaf angle distribution of corn

A coherent optical technique for the diffraction analysis of an image is presented. Developments in radar remote sensing shows a need to understand plant geometry and its relationship to plant moisture, soil moisture, and the radar backscattering coefficient. A corn plant changes its leaf angle distribution, as a function of time, from a uniform distribution to one that is strongly vertical. It is shown that plant and soil moisture may have an effect on plant geometry.

Ulaby, F. T.↗

Effect of leaf variables on visible, near-infrared and mid-infrared reflectance of excised leaves

Effects of an imposed (excised) leaf orientation, differing species and differing venation patterns on reflectance measurements in the LANDSAT-4 thematic mapper (TM) channels TM3 (0.63 to 0.69 microns), TM4 (0.76 to 0.90 microns), and TM5 (1.55 to 1.75 microns) were investigated. Orientation of leaves (random vs. systematic placement) was found to affect measurements in the TM4 channel, but not the TM3 and TM5 measurements. Venation caused no significant changes for any band. Azimuth of incident radiation was not a significant main effect, but in conjunction with changes in orientation, angle did have a significant effect on reflectance values in TM3, TM4 and TM5. Specific differences were highly significant (P f or = 0.006) in all but one borderline (P F or = 0.0222) case for TM5. For spectral examination of excised leaves, the sampling arrangement of the leaves should as closely approximate in situ positioning as possible (with respect to remote sensing instrumentation). This dictates a random rather than aligned arrangement.

Bell, R.↗