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Report

Teaser, summary, work performed and final results

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - TRuStEE (Training on Remote Sensing for Ecosystem modElling)

Teaser

Summary

TRuStEE (Training on remote sensing for ecosystem modelling) is a pioneering innovative training network designed to provide multidisciplinary training for 12 Early Stage Researchers (ESRs) on the use of the still under-exploited potential of novel remote and proximal sensing techniques to face grand societal challenges as the increasing pressure of environmental change on ecosystem functioning and land-atmosphere interactions. The innovative aspects of the TRuStEE network are hereafter summarized:
i) to shape a new generation of scientists with combined, complementary and interdisciplinary skills in ecosystem modelling, plant physiology, remote sensing technologies and big data analysis;
ii) to train young scientists to exploit the recent technological development in the field of proximal and remote sensing (e.g. drones, fluorescence sensors) and Earth Observation data from new satellite missions (e.g. ESA-FLEX, NASA-GEDI) for the description of the ecosystem functioning and the prediction of ecosystem services;
iii) to improve the understanding and modelling of biosphere-atmosphere interactions and ecosystem services allowing the exploration of inter-linkages, synergies and feedbacks between essential biodiversity variables categories, ecosystem functional properties and plant traits measurable from remote observation.
To address these challenging aims, the TRuStEE network is composed by 9 beneficiaries and 8 partner organisations well known internationally for their interdisciplinary and innovative research and activities. The academic partnership is complemented by the non-academic sector involving companies operating in the project topic. The integration of the interdisciplinary expertise of different consortium members creates a number of synergies within the network that benefits the young scientistâ€™s training.

Work performed

The TRuStEE network of excellence designed a research programme with 12 multidisciplinary and intersectoral individual research projects that span 4 key areas (work packages; WP): WP1 Identification of essential biodiversity variables categories, ecosystem functional properties and plant traits describing ecosystem functioning measurable from remote sensing, WP2 Assessment of vegetation photosynthetic efficiency from remote measurements of fluorescence for ecosystem models, WP3 Multi source RS data streams assimilation in dynamic ecosystem models, WP4 Earth Observation products for the upscaling of essential biodiversity variables categories, ecosystem functional properties and plant traits at global scale.
The work carried out during the first two years of the TRuStEE project has been in line with the initial plan of the proposal.
In WP1, the link between the essential biodiversity variables and the ecosystem functional properties and the vegetation optical properties is being analysed using complete datasets of remote sensing information acquired and processed at a variety of spatial, spectral and temporal resolutions. Complementary, an innovative spectrometer for vegetation optical property acquisition was made operative and deployed on flux towers acquiring data in an automatized operation and adapted for manual bidirectional measurements. Robust techniques for intelligent data capture from drones were also developed to ensure good quality data acquisition.
In WP2, the link between fluorescence, hyperspectral optical indices and ecosystem functional properties is being investigated on different terrestrial ecosystems managed by the TRuStEE participants in order to verify the possibility to use optical indices related to photosynthesis in ecosystem models.
In WP3, the expertise and new understanding of vegetation systems emerging from WP1 and WP2 are being transferred in real case studies where ecosystem functional properties and plant traits are being measured both from direct measurements and from the remote sensing data.
In WP4, a survey of currently and soon to be available satellite data, best suited for the TRuStEE purpose, was compiled.
During the reporting period, an exciting training environment with highly qualified and experienced supervisors, was provided to the ESRs, including local training programmes, network-wide training activities and secondments.
The participant network contributed to the exploitation of the deliverables obtained. Public deliverables such as protocols for field and drone data acquisition, remote sensing data processing chains and codes developed were shared among the consortium. A WebGIS is going to be designed in order to facilitate data exploitation. Data will be open and accessible to the scientific community after the dissemination activity has been concluded.

Final results

Understanding and predicting ecosystem functions remains a major challenge in evaluating ecosystem services and biophysical controls on biosphere-atmosphere interactions, as current dynamic vegetation models are still not capable of grasping the spatial and temporal variability in ecosystem processes. Multi-scale remote sensing data, from proximal observations to global extent, can detect essential changes in plant traits, biodiversity and ecosystem functioning, providing a method for scaling-up. TRuStEE research activity is focused on the methodological and technical constraints that hamper a systematic incorporation of remotely sensed data in ecosystem models, including scalability and multi-source data integration issues. TRuStEE is training a new generation of scientists with complementary and interdisciplinary skills in ecosystem modelling, plant physiology, remote sensing technologies and big data analysis to overcome these issues.
The project will have a short term impact on the fellowâ€™s careers due to the new skills acquired by their academic/non-academic experience. The TRuStEE project is already having a very positive impact on the ESRs, the partner organisations and the society. The ESRs are taking advantage of the very high quality training and the interdisciplinary and stimulating environment provided by the network. This environment has strong impacts on the ESRs strengthening of theoretical background but also gives to the ESRs the opportunity to apply innovation remote sensing techniques to real case studies.
From the scientific point of view, the new results and know-how acquired will have impacts in the remote sensing and earth observation sector. Remote sensing and earth observation is developing quite fast in the public, academic but also in the private sectors. There are many SMEs operating with drone and satellite observations for environmental monitoring. There is still a gap between remote sensing and ecosystem modelling research and operational applications. The non-academic sector will promote the knowledge transferability between the two sectors (academic and non academic) filling the gap between research and application.
The dissemination activities planned by the consortium and targeting not only the scientific community but also the society in general will also increase the impacts of TRuStEE with clear messages particularly for the new generations approaching the choice of future studies and jobs.
The activities conducted until now prove that the consortium partners are committed to enhance TRuStEE project impacts.