Date of Graduation
12-2011
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts in Geography (MA)
Degree Level
Graduate
Department
Geosciences
Advisor/Mentor
Tullis, Jason A.
Committee Member
Cothren, Jackson D.
Second Committee Member
Kvamme, Kenneth L.
Keywords
Health and environmental sciences; Earth sciences; Biological sciences; Deciduous forests; Enhanced Vegetaion Index; Frost
Abstract
The impacts of an April 2007 spring freeze event on the productivity of deciduous broadleaf forest were analyzed using geographic information system (GIS) tools. Forest productivity was modeled using the Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), as recorded by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) satellite sensor. Measures of spatial autocorrelation were used to quantify the degree of spatial congruence between a map depicting the severity of the freeze event, and maps modeling forest productivity throughout the year. The results show a geographic correlation between the unseasonably low minimum temperatures sustained during the freeze and the unusually low forest productivity that followed. Discussion also includes the influence on freeze damage of premature growth onset triggered by an unusually warm March 2007, the seemingly paradoxical relationship between spring frost damage and climate change, and the potential for practical applications of this study with regard to predictive modeling and ecological forecasting.
Citation
Lintvedt, K. (2011). Analyzing Spring Freeze Impacts on Deciduous Forest Productivity Using MODIS Satellite Imagery. Graduate Theses and Dissertations Retrieved from https://scholarworks.uark.edu/etd/159
Included in
Environmental Sciences Commons, Geographic Information Sciences Commons, Other Forestry and Forest Sciences Commons
