Enhancing the understanding of canopy biodiversity: Estimating forest canopy surface temperature by airborne laser scanning, thermal infrared scanning, and 3D radiation modeling

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Temperature is one of the most important physical factors influencing the growth of plants and abundance and diversity of insects. Because many taxa such as birds and bats feed on insects, presence and patterns of insects are important constituents of overall faunistic species diversity. This proposal aims at the assessment and analysis of spatial and temporal temperature distribution in forest canopies and research into the relationships between forest management/forest structure and temperature distribution in case studies of unmanaged and managed forest experimental plots (EP/VIP) of the Biodiversity Exploratories. A thermal infrared camera installed at flux towers delivers high spatial resolution surface temperature images of the forest canopy. The temperature variation inside the forest canopy will be simulated using 3D radiative transfer modeling. The application and development of methods for airborne remote sensing sensors (thermal infrared and laser scanner) will allow extrapolation of these findings to EPs/VIPs and to larger forested areas.