Preprints
https://doi.org/10.5194/bgd-6-5461-2009
https://doi.org/10.5194/bgd-6-5461-2009
04 Jun 2009
 | 04 Jun 2009
Status: this preprint was under review for the journal BG. A revision for further review has not been submitted.

Mapping landscape scale variations of forest structure, biomass, and productivity in Amazonia

S. Saatchi, Y. Malhi, B. Zutta, W. Buermann, L. O. Anderson, A. M. Araujo, O. L. Phillips, J. Peacock, H. ter Steege, G. Lopez Gonzalez, T. Baker, L. Arroyo, S. Almeida, N. Higuchi, T. Killeen, A. Monteagudo, D. Neill, N. Pitman, A. Prieto, R. Salomão, N. Silva, R. Vásquez Martínez, W. Laurance, and H. A. Ramírez

Abstract. Landscape and environmental variables such as topography, geomorphology, soil types, and climate are important factors affecting forest composition, structure, productivity, and biomass. Here, we combine a network of forest inventories with recently developed global data products from satellite observations in modeling the potential distributions of forest structure and productivity in Amazonia and examine how geomorphology, soil, and precipitation control these distributions. We use the RAINFOR network of forest plots distributed in lowland forests across Amazonia, and satellite observations of tree cover, leaf area index, phenology, moisture, and topographical variations. A maximum entropy estimation (Maxent) model is employed to predict the spatial distribution of several key forest structure parameters: basal area, fraction of large trees, fraction of palms, wood density, productivity, and above-ground biomass at 5 km spatial resolution. A series of statistical tests at selected thresholds as well as across all thresholds and jackknife analysis are used to examine the accuracy of distribution maps and the relative contributions of environmental variables. The final maps were interpreted using soil, precipitation, and geomorphological features of Amazonia and it was found that the length of dry season played a key role in impacting the distribution of all forest variables except the wood density. Soil type had a significant impact on the wood productivity. Most high productivity forests were distributed either on less infertile soils of western Amazonia and Andean foothills, on crystalline shields, and younger alluvial deposits. Areas of low elevation and high density of small rivers of Central Amazonia showed distinct features, hosting mainly forests with low productivity and smaller trees.

S. Saatchi, Y. Malhi, B. Zutta, W. Buermann, L. O. Anderson, A. M. Araujo, O. L. Phillips, J. Peacock, H. ter Steege, G. Lopez Gonzalez, T. Baker, L. Arroyo, S. Almeida, N. Higuchi, T. Killeen, A. Monteagudo, D. Neill, N. Pitman, A. Prieto, R. Salomão, N. Silva, R. Vásquez Martínez, W. Laurance, and H. A. Ramírez
 
Status: closed (peer review stopped)
Status: closed (peer review stopped)
AC: Author comment | RC: Referee comment | SC: Short comment | EC: Editor comment
Printer-friendly Version - Printer-friendly version Supplement - Supplement
 
Status: closed (peer review stopped)
Status: closed (peer review stopped)
AC: Author comment | RC: Referee comment | SC: Short comment | EC: Editor comment
Printer-friendly Version - Printer-friendly version Supplement - Supplement
S. Saatchi, Y. Malhi, B. Zutta, W. Buermann, L. O. Anderson, A. M. Araujo, O. L. Phillips, J. Peacock, H. ter Steege, G. Lopez Gonzalez, T. Baker, L. Arroyo, S. Almeida, N. Higuchi, T. Killeen, A. Monteagudo, D. Neill, N. Pitman, A. Prieto, R. Salomão, N. Silva, R. Vásquez Martínez, W. Laurance, and H. A. Ramírez
S. Saatchi, Y. Malhi, B. Zutta, W. Buermann, L. O. Anderson, A. M. Araujo, O. L. Phillips, J. Peacock, H. ter Steege, G. Lopez Gonzalez, T. Baker, L. Arroyo, S. Almeida, N. Higuchi, T. Killeen, A. Monteagudo, D. Neill, N. Pitman, A. Prieto, R. Salomão, N. Silva, R. Vásquez Martínez, W. Laurance, and H. A. Ramírez

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