Airborne LiDAR for quantifying changes in biomass stocks and structural dynamics in fire-damaged forests in Central Amazon

• Grant number: 16/21043-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Start date: March 01, 2017
• End date: June 30, 2021
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Ecology - Ecosystems Ecology
• Principal Investigator: Luiz Eduardo Oliveira e Cruz de Aragão
• Grantee: Aline Pontes Lopes
• Host Institution: Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais (INPE). São José dos Campos , SP, Brazil
• Associated scholarship(s): 18/24457-3 - Multi-temporal airborne LiDAR for quantifying aboveground biomass stocks and canopy structure dynamics in fire-affected forests in Central Amazon, BE.EP.DR

Abstract

Forest fires in the Brazilian Amazon may be responsible for over 50% of global emissions due to land use changes. However, the long-term impacts of fires in the Amazon forests are still poorly quantified, especially in the regions far from the arc of deforestation, less known by fire occurrence. The Brazilian government and research funding agencies have prioritized studies that support environmental change mitigation, especially climate change, deforestation and forest degradation. Thus, this project aims to quantify forest fire dynamics in the northern area of Purus-Madeira Interfluve, in Central Amazon, and their impact on the dynamics of forest structure and biomass stocks. To achieve this goal, a multitemporal approach and multiscale data from forest inventories in areas affected by fire will be used in combination with airborne LiDAR data and Landsat satellite images. Biomass stocks and mortality, recruitment and growth processes will be quantified by forest inventories. These data, combined with metrics and models derived from LiDAR, will be used to generate their spatial distribution estimates. The temporal variation of these estimates will allow the study of forest degradation and regeneration dynamics after the fire event and also calculate the carbon emissions associated with such processes. Moreover, the potential of LiDAR data to generate estimates of the observed changes in the forest stocks and structure will be evaluated. Thus, this thesis proposal aims to provide a methodological framework to assist the definition of mitigation strategies for climate change impacts.

Scientific publications

(9)

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

CAMPANHARO, WESLEY A.; LOPES, ALINE P.; ANDERSON, LIANA O.; DA SILVA, THIAGO F. M. R.; ARAGAO, LUIZ E. O. C.. Translating Fire Impacts in Southwestern Amazonia into Economic Costs. REMOTE SENSING, v. 11, n. 7, APR 1 2019. (16/21043-8, 16/02018-2)

DE ALMEIDA, CATHERINE TORRES; GALVAO, LENIO SOARES; DE OLIVEIRA CRUZ E ARAGAO, LUIZ EDUARDO; HENRY BALBAUD OMETTO, JEAN PIERRE; JACON, ALINE DANIELE; DE SOUZA PEREIRA, FRANCISCA ROCHA; SATO, LUCIANE YUMIE; LOPES, ALINE PONTES; LIMA DE ALENCASTRO GRACA, PAULO MAURICIO; SILVA, CAMILA VALERIA DE JESUS; et al. Combining LiDAR and hyperspectral data for aboveground biomass modeling in the Brazilian Amazon using different regression algorithms. REMOTE SENSING OF ENVIRONMENT, v. 232, OCT 2019. (16/21043-8)

PONTES-LOPES, ALINE; SILVA, CAMILA V. J.; BARLOW, JOS; RINCON, LORENA M.; CAMPANHARO, WESLEY A.; NUNES, CASSIO A.; DE ALMEIDA, CATHERINE T.; SILVA JUNIOR, CELSO H. L.; CASSOL, HENRIQUE L. G.; DALAGNOL, RICARDO; et al. Drought-driven wildfire impacts on structure and dynamics in a wet Central Amazonian forest. PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES, v. 288, n. 1951, MAY 26 2021. (16/21043-8, 19/21662-8, 18/14423-4, 20/06734-0)

GUIMARAES ZICCARDI, LEONARDO; DOS REIS, MATEUS; LIMA DE ALENCASTRO GRACA, PAULO MAURICIO; BORGES GONCALVES, NATHAN; PONTES-LOPES, ALINE; ARAGAO, LUIZ E. O. C.; DE OLIVEIRA, REYJANE PATRICIA; CLARK, LYNN; FEARNSIDE, PHILIP MARTIN. Forest fires facilitate growth of herbaceous bamboos in central Amazonia. Biotropica, v. 53, n. 4, p. 1021-1030, JUL 2021. (18/15001-6, 16/21043-8)

SILVA JUNIOR, CELSO H. L.; CARVALHO, NATHALIA S.; PESSOA, ANA C. M.; REIS, JOAO B. C.; PONTES-LOPES, ALINE; DOBLAS, JUAN; HEINRICH, VIOLA; CAMPANHARO, WESLEY; ALENCAR, ANE; SILVA, CAMILA; et al. Amazonian forest degradation must be incorporated into the COP26 agenda. NATURE GEOSCIENCE, v. 14, n. 9, p. 634-635, SEP 2021. (19/05440-5, 16/21043-8, 16/02018-2, 15/02537-7, 18/14423-4)

SULLIVAN, MARTIN J. P.; PHILLIPS, OLIVER L.; GALBRAITH, DAVID; ALMEIDA, EVERTON; DE OLIVEIRA, EDMAR ALMEIDA; ALMEIDA, JARCILENE; ALVAREZ DAVILA, ESTEBAN; ALVES, LUCIANA F.; ANDRADE, ANA; ARAGAO, LUIZ; et al. Variation in wood density across South American tropical forests. NATURE COMMUNICATIONS, v. 16, n. 1, p. 12-pg., 2025-03-10. (03/12595-7, 18/15001-6, 16/21043-8, 12/51872-5, 15/50488-5)

PONTES-LOPES, ALINE; DALAGNOL, RICARDO; DUTRA, ANDEISE CERQUEIRA; DE JESUS SILVA, CAMILA VALERIA; LIMA DE ALENCASTRO GRACA, PAULO MAURICIO; DE OLIVEIRA E CRUZ DE ARAGAO, LUIZ EDUARDO. Quantifying Post-Fire Changes in the Aboveground Biomass of an Amazonian Forest Based on Field and Remote Sensing Data. REMOTE SENSING, v. 14, n. 7, p. 20-pg., 2022-04-01. (19/21662-8, 18/15001-6, 16/21043-8)

SMITH, MARIELLE N.; STARK, SCOTT C.; TAYLOR, TYEEN C.; SCHIETTI, JULIANA; DE ALMEIDA, DANILO ROBERTI ALVES; ARAGON, SUSAN; TORRALVO, KELLY; LIMA, ALBERTINA P.; DE OLIVEIRA, GABRIEL; DE ASSIS, RAFAEL LEANDRO; et al. Diverse anthropogenic disturbances shift Amazon forests along a structural spectrum. FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT, v. 21, n. 1, p. 9-pg., 2023-02-01. (16/21043-8, 18/21338-3, 19/24049-5)

SILVA, CAMILA V. J.; ARAGAO, LUIZ E. O. C.; YOUNG, PAUL J.; ESPIRITO-SANTO, FERNANDO; BERENGUER, ERIKA; ANDERSON, LIANA O.; BRASIL, IZAIAS; PONTES-LOPES, ALINE; FERREIRA, JOICE; WITHEY, KIERAN; et al. Estimating the multi-decadal carbon deficit of burned Amazonian forests. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS, v. 15, n. 11, NOV 2020. (15/50392-8, 18/15001-6, 16/21043-8)