Delineating the mountain cloud forest of Taiwan by means of topographic cloud immersion with moderate resolution satellite data and ground based observations

山地云雾林（MCF）直接依赖于频繁的云雾浸泡，在生物多样性和生态系统服务（如供水）方面是非常重要的栖息地。与此同时，它们尤其受到全球变化的威胁。台湾也是如此，到目前为止，几乎没有关于MCF空间分布的信息。这种（也是全球性的）信息缺乏主要是由于缺少山区云浸泡的时空数据。根据联合国环境规划署云雾森林议程的建议，本项目旨在发展一种以高空间分辨率描绘台湾云雾浸泡和云雾森林的方法。这将通过结合基于不同传感器（德国同行）的卫星数据开发与云几何、光学和微物理特性的现场观测以及样带调查（台湾同行）来进行。结果将是台湾MCF潜在和目前扩展的地图。

Mountain cloud forests (MCF), which directly depend on frequent cloud immersion, are very important habitats with regard to biodiversity and ecosystem services as e.g. water supply. At the same time, they are especially threatened by Global Change. This also holds for Taiwan where to date, almost no information on the spatial distribution of MCF is available. This (also global) lack of information is mainly due to missing spatio-temporal data on mountain cloud immersion. Based on the recommendations of the UNEP cloud forest agenda, the current project aims on developing a methodology to delineate cloud immersion and cloud forest of Taiwan in high spatial resolution. This will be conducted by combining satellite data exploitation based on different sensors (German counterpart) with on-site observations of cloud geometrical, optical and microphysical properties as well as transect surveys (Taiwanese counterpart). The result will be maps of the potential and current extension of MCF in Taiwan.