A multiscale remote sensing assessment of peatland biogeochemical geography

我们面临的一个关键的科学和社会问题是，随着气候变暖，如何确定巨大的泥炭地碳库的稳定性。换句话说，泥炭地将如何应对全球变暖——它们会继续从大气中吸收比释放更多的碳吗？泥炭地占地球表面约3%（加拿大约11%），在全球碳循环和维持生物多样性方面发挥着重要作用。尽管泥炭地具有恢复力，但它们很容易受到气候变化、大气污染物沉积、干扰和土地利用变化的影响。需要关于它们在景观尺度上的结构和功能随时间变化的精确信息，以便为有关它们的管理和保护的政策提供信息。了解泥炭地对气候变化和其他人为干扰的响应需要强大的、可重复的观测和监测能力，理想情况下适合于地球观测，并需要在关键地点进行深入调查。我的研究项目旨在通过新的多尺度和多源遥感数据填补泥炭地生物地球化学地理学的关键知识空白。我的长期目标是确定从原位数据到遥感泥炭地植被特征的卫星图像的缩放效果，并改进响应气候变化的高光谱成像泥炭地碳平衡模型。四个相关的短期科学问题指导我提出的研究计划，以帮助我们更好地了解和监测加拿大和全球的泥炭地生态系统：1)多尺度和多源遥感数据能否改善净生态系统交换和生态系统呼吸的空间模型？2)新的和即将到来的多光谱和高光谱星载地球观测系统是否足以监测泥炭地碳动态？3)基于短波红外高光谱成像和微型无人机群的新型遥控飞机系统（RPAS）能否用于量化泥炭地和相关淡水沼泽的甲烷排放？4)月光下获得的RPAS高光谱图像等新兴技术能否在空间上量化泥炭地地表特征和功能的变化模式？通过解决这四个问题，我的研究从基础走向了高级应用。因此，它的影响来自这样一个事实，即使用创新的多尺度方法将提供碳和甲烷排放的可量化测量。由于我的研究地点是ceo的超级地点，我们的发现将迅速传播到目前在泥炭地使用星载地球观测的国际社会，并在方法上使其他生态系统受益。

A key scientific and societal question we are faced with is determining the stability of the vast peatland carbon repository as the climate warms. In other words, how will peatlands respond as a result of global warming - will they continue to sequester more carbon from atmospheric carbon dioxide than they release? Peatlands cover ~3% of the Earth's surface (~11% of Canada), and play a significant role in the global carbon cycle and in the maintenance of biodiversity. Despite their resilience, peatlands are vulnerable to climate change, atmospheric deposition of pollutants, disturbance and land use change. Precise information about their structure and functioning over time at landscape scales is needed to inform policy regarding their management and conservation. Working towards understanding peatland response to climate change and other anthropogenic disturbance requires a robust and repeatable observation and monitoring capacity, ideally suitable to Earth Observation, and requiring in-depth investigation at key sites of interest. My research program aims to fill key knowledge gaps regarding the biogeochemical geography of peatlands from novel multi-scale and multi-source remotely sensed data. My long-term objectives are to determine the effect of scaling from in-situ data to satellite imagery of remotely sensed vegetation characteristics of peatlands and, to improve models of peatland carbon balance from hyperspectral imaging in response to climate change. Four related short-term scientific questions guide my proposed research program to help us better understand and monitor peatland ecosystems in Canada and globally: 1) Can multi-scale and multi-source remotely sensed data improve spatial models of net ecosystem exchange and ecosystem respiration? 2) Are new and upcoming multi and hyperspectral spaceborne Earth observation systems adequate for monitoring peatland carbon dynamics? 3) Can novel Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS - also known as drones) based shortwave infrared hyperspectral imagery and micro-drone swarms be used to quantify methane emission from peatlands and associated freshwater marshes? and 4) Can emerging technologies such as RPAS hyperspectral imagery acquired under moonlight spatially quantify the diel pattern in peatland surface characteristics and functioning? By addressing these four questions, my research moves from baseline to advanced applications. Therefore, its impact comes from the fact that using innovative multi-scale methodologies will provide quantifiable measurements of carbon and methane emissions. Since my study site is a CEOS supersite, our findings would rapidly reach the international community currently using spaceborne Earth observation in peatlands, and methodologically benefit other ecosystems.