Remote Sensing

A new development has demonstrated that multi-spectral LiDAR has the potential to recover 'colour' (and therefore physiological through links to chlorophyll and other pigments related to photosynthesis) and structure from vegetation communities, and by extension from forest canopies when deployed on aerial or space platforms. Ultimately, multi- or hyper-spectral LiDAR can inform us on carbon sequestration and existing forest stocks, allowing us to better understand and predict the impact of climate change, and the seasonal dynamics of ecosystem carbon uptake in response to environmental drivers such as water, temperature, light and nutrient availability.