Terrestrial ecosystems, land-based communities of creatures, plants, and their surrounding environment, are an expansive focus of NASA's Earth observations. Observing such ecosystems allows us to understand the function and health of our own planet while also seeding us with knowledge to analyze how other worlds work. Researchers studying terrestrial ecosystems delve into a variety of topics ...
The Hyper-Angular Rainbow Polarimeter #2 aboard NASA's Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem satellite is a wide-angle imaging polarimeter that measures aerosol particles and clouds, as well as properties of land and water surfaces.
The Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI) instrument is a full-waveform lidar installed on the International Space Station that produces detailed observations of the 3D structure of Earth’s surface. GEDI's three lasers precisely measure forest canopy height, canopy vertical structure, and surface elevation. By accurately measuring forests in 3D, GEDI data play an important role in ...
The Boreal Ecosystem-Atmosphere Study (BOREAS) was a large-scale, international, interdisciplinary experiment in the boreal forests of central Canada. Its focus was improving our understanding of the exchanges of radiative energy, sensible heat, water, CO2, and trace gases between the boreal forest and the lower atmosphere. A primary objective of BOREAS was to collect the data needed to ...
NASA's Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI) uses lidar to study the height and structure of forests and other plant biomass in order to better monitor and understand the carbon cycle, habitats, and biodiversity amid changing climate and land use patterns.
Wetlands are a type of terrain where the land is permanently or seasonally saturated with water. Swamps and marshes are types of wetlands. Insects, waterfowl, fish, amphibians, and other animals often find a home in wetlands, creating a complex ecosystem that combines land-based and aquatic life.