Texas A&M AgriLife Research (AgriLife) scientists, backed by NASA, will study drought-stricken trees in Texas to determine process of decay and influences on their ecosystem.
Three AgriLife scientists have been approved for a three-year $347,426 grant under the Rapid Response and Novel Research in Earth Science program operated by NASA. The project is titled “Using LiDAR to develop a climate-driven model of the disintegration and decay of trees killed during a severe drought,” according to AgriLife Today.
The rate of tree breakdown will be monitored through Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR), which is a remote-sensing technology that uses laser light to measure the distance from sensor to target and creates a three-dimensional model.
Texas forests have suffered tree loss nine times above normal levels due to severe drought. The remote sensing of tree disintegration and decay will be innovative, may indicate a connection to potential changes in climate and assist in other forest ecosystems.