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87 results for “Sonoran desert”
Long-term composited and land cover-adjusted Enhanced Normalized Difference Impervious Surface Index (ENDISI) for the greater Phoenix, Arizona, USA, metropolitan area and the surrounding Sonoran desert derived from annual and seasonal Landsat imagery, 1998 to 2020
This data package consists of multiple decades of Enhanced Normalized Difference Impervious Surface Index (ENDISI) raster data across the Central Arizona-Phoenix Long-Term Ecological Research (CAP LTER) study area within metropolitan Phoenix, Arizona, USA, temporally aggregated by year and by four meteorological seasons (winter, spring, summer, fall). To serve as a proxy measurement of impervious surface and urbanization across years and seasons, we derived values of ENDISI – following the methods of Chen et al. 2019 from annual and seasonal composites of 30-m resolution Landsat 5-9 Level-2 Surface Reflectance imagery. Next, we corrected the underestimated ENDISI values of dark impervious surface cover and the overestimated ENDISI values of bright bare soils based on visible Landsat bands and 2020 land cover (Sabu et al. 2023). Finally, we exported images as individual GeoTIFF raster files, each with five bands corresponding values summarized annually (band 1) and seasonally (bands 2-5). All imagery retrieval and data processing were completed with Google Earth Engine (Gorelick et al. 2017) and program R. A complete description of data processing methods, including the aggregation of imagery by year and season and the calculation of the spectral index, can be found in the data package metadata (see 'Methods and Protocols') and accompanying Javascript code. ### citations - Gorelick N, Hancher M, Dixon M, et al. (2017) Google Earth Engine: Planetary-scale geospatial analysis for everyone. Remote Sensing of Environment 202:18–27. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2017.06.031 - Sabu, S., Frazier, A., & Rashid, B. (2023). Land use and land cover (LULC) classification of the CAP LTER study area (central Arizona, USA) using Landsat imagery: 2015 and 2020 [Dataset]. Environmental Data Initiative. https://doi.org/10.6073/PASTA/BF18E5856215BD2D4DAB3B024BA87A7E
Long-term composited Enhanced Normalized Difference Impervious Surface Index (ENDISI) for the greater Phoenix, Arizona, USA, metropolitan area and the surrounding Sonoran desert derived from annual and seasonal Landsat imagery, 1998 to 2023
This data package consists of multiple decades of Enhanced Normalized Difference Impervious Surface Index (ENDISI) raster data across the Central Arizona-Phoenix Long-Term Ecological Research (CAP LTER) study area within metropolitan Phoenix, Arizona, USA, temporally aggregated by year and by four meteorological seasons (winter, spring, summer, fall). To serve as a proxy measurement of impervious surface and urbanization across years and seasons, we derived values of ENDISI – following the methods of Chen et al. 2019 – from annual and seasonal composites of 30-m resolution Landsat 5-9 Level-2 Surface Reflectance imagery. Finally, we exported images as individual GeoTIFF raster files, each with five bands corresponding values summarized annually (band 1) and seasonally (bands 2-5). All imagery retrieval and data processing were completed with Google Earth Engine (Gorelick et al. 2017) and program R. A complete description of data processing methods, including the aggregation of imagery by year and season and the calculation of the spectral index, can be found in the data package metadata (see 'Methods and Protocols') and accompanying Javascript code. ### citations - Gorelick N, Hancher M, Dixon M, et al. (2017) Google Earth Engine: Planetary-scale geospatial analysis for everyone. Remote Sensing of Environment 202:18–27. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2017.06.031
Desert Fertilization Experiment: investigation of Sonoran desert ecosystem response to atmospheric deposition and experimental nutrient addition, ongoing since 2006
Launched in 2006 with support from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and leveraged by the CAP LTER, the Carbon and Nitrogen deposition (CNdep) project sought to answer the fundamental question of whether elemental cycles in urban ecosystems are qualitatively different from those in non-urban ecosystems. Ecosystem scientists, atmospheric chemists, and biogeochemists tested the hypothesis that distinct biogeochemical pathways result from elevated inorganic nitrogen and organic carbon deposition from the atmosphere to the land. To test the hypothesis, scientists examined the responsiveness of Sonoran desert ecosystems to nutrient enrichment by capitalizing on a gradient of atmospheric deposition in and around the greater Phoenix metropolitan area. Fifteen desert study sites were established, with five locations each west and east of the urban core, and in the urban core in desert preserves. In addition to the gradient of atmospheric deposition in and around the urban core, select study plots at each of the fifteen desert locations receive amendments of nitrogen, phosphorus, or nitrogen + phosphorus fertilizer. Measured variables include soil properties, perennial and annual plant growth, and atmospheric deposition of nitrogen. At the close of the initial grant period, the CAP LTER assumed responsibility for the project, renamed the Desert Fertilization Experiment, which provides a remarkable platform to study the long-term effects of nutrient enrichment on desert ecosystem properties.
Long-term composited Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) for the greater Phoenix, Arizona, USA, metropolitan area and the surrounding Sonoran desert derived from annual and seasonal Landsat imagery, 1998 to 2023
### overview This data package consists of multiple decades of normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) raster data across the Central Arizona-Phoenix Long-Term Ecological Research (CAP LTER) study area within metropolitan Phoenix, Arizona (USA), temporally aggregated by year and by four meteorological seasons (Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall). To serve as a proxy measurement of vegetation greenness and productivity across years and seasons, NDVI was derived from annual and seasonal composites of 30-m resolution Landsat 5-9 Level-2 Surface Reflectance imagery. All imagery retrieval and data processing were completed with Google Earth Engine (Gorelick et al. 2017) and program R. A complete description of data processing methods, including the aggregation of imagery by year and season and the calculation of the spectral index, can be found in the data package metadata (see 'Methods and Protocols') and accompanying Javascript code. ### citations - Gorelick N, Hancher M, Dixon M, et al. (2017) Google Earth Engine: Planetary-scale geospatial analysis for everyone. Remote Sensing of Environment 202:18–27. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2017.06.031
Desert Fertilization Experiment: investigation of Sonoran desert ecosystem response to atmospheric deposition and experimental nutrient addition, ongoing since 2006 (Reformatted to the ecocomDP Design Pattern)
This data package is formatted as an ecocomDP (Ecological Community Data Pattern). For more information on ecocomDP see https://github.com/EDIorg/ecocomDP. This Level 1 data package was derived from the Level 0 data package found here: https://pasta.lternet.edu/package/metadata/eml/knb-lter-cap/632/9. The abstract below was extracted from the Level 0 data package and is included for context:
Long-term composited land surface temperature for the greater Phoenix, Arizona, USA, metropolitan area and the surrounding Sonoran desert derived from annual and seasonal Landsat imagery, 1998 to 2023
This data package consists of multiple decades of land surface temperature (LST) raster data across the Central Arizona-Phoenix Long-Term Ecological Research (CAP LTER) study area within metropolitan Phoenix, Arizona (USA), temporally aggregated by year and by four meteorological seasons (Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall). We derived LST values based on the thermal band from annual and seasonal composites of 30-m resolution Landsat 5-9 Level-2 Surface Reflectance imagery. All imagery retrieval and data processing were completed with Google Earth Engine (Gorelick et al. 2017) and program R. A complete description of data processing methods, including the aggregation of imagery by year and season and the calculation of the spectral index, can be found in the data package metadata (see 'Methods and Protocols') and accompanying Javascript code. ### citations: - Gorelick N, Hancher M, Dixon M, et al. (2017) Google Earth Engine: Planetary-scale geospatial analysis for everyone. Remote Sensing of Environment 202:18–27. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2017.06.031
Long-term seasonally and annually aggregated climatic variables for the greater Phoenix, Arizona, USA, metropolitan area and the surrounding Sonoran desert, derived from single-day NASA Daymet images, 2000 to 2022
This data package consists of multiple decades of bioclimatic raster data across the Central Arizona-Phoenix Long-Term Ecological Research (CAP LTER) study area within metropolitan Phoenix, Arizona, USA, temporally aggregated by year and by four meteorological seasons (winter, spring, summer, fall). We sourced each bioclimatic variable from 1-km resolution gridded estimates of daily climatic data from NASA Daymet V4, including daily mean (ppt) and total precipitation (ppt_sum), daily maximum air temperature (temp_max), daily minimum air temperature (temp_min), incident shortwave radiation flux density (srad), and daily average partial pressure of water vapor (vp). For each of these six variables, we created temporally aggregated raster images by calculating mean pixel-values of each for each season and year, as well as producing a seventh variable of seasonally and annually summed precipitation (ppt_sum). Finally, we exported images as individual GeoTIFF raster files, each with five bands corresponding values summarized annually (band 1) and seasonally (bands 2-5). All imagery retrieval and data processing were completed with Google Earth Engine (Gorelick et al. 2017) and program R. A complete description of data processing methods, including the aggregation of imagery by year and season, can be found in the data package metadata (see 'Methods and Protocols') and accompanying Javascript code. ### citations - Gorelick N, Hancher M, Dixon M, et al. (2017) Google Earth Engine: Planetary-scale geospatial analysis for everyone. Remote Sensing of Environment 202:18–27. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2017.06.031
Desert Fertilization Experiment: investigation of Sonoran desert ecosystem response to atmospheric deposition and experimental nutrient addition, ongoing since 2006 (Reformatted to a Darwin Core Archive)
This data package is formatted as a Darwin Core Archive (DwC-A, event core). For more information on Darwin Core see https://www.tdwg.org/standards/dwc/. This Level 2 data package was derived from the Level 1 data package found here: https://pasta.lternet.edu/package/metadata/eml/edi/253/3, which was derived from the Level 0 data package found here: https://pasta.lternet.edu/package/metadata/eml/knb-lter-cap/632/9. The abstract below was extracted from the Level 0 data package and is included for context:
Ecological Survey of Central Arizona: a survey of key ecological indicators in the greater Phoenix metropolitan area and surrounding Sonoran desert, ongoing since 1999
The Ecological Survey of Central Arizona (ESCA) is an extensive field survey and integrated inventory designed to capture key ecological indicators of the CAP LTER study area consisting of the urbanized, suburbanized, and agricultural areas of metropolitan Phoenix, and the surrounding Sonoran desert. The survey, formerly known as the survey 200 and renamed to ESCA in 2015, assesses conditions at approximately 200 sample plots (30m x 30m) that were located randomly using a tessellation-stratified dual-density sampling design. Beginning in 2000, the study is conducted every five years except the 2020 survey, which was conducted in 2023 owing to delays to due Covid. Study plots cover habitats throughout the CAP LTER study area ranging from native Sonoran desert sites to residential yards to an airport tarmac. Measurements include an inventory of all plants (identified to the lowest possible taxonomic unit, typically species), plant biovolume, soil coring for physicochemical properties, arthropod sweep-net sampling, photo documentation, and a visual survey of site and area characteristics. The objectives of the survey are to (1) characterize patches in terms of key biotic, physical, and chemical variables, and (2) examine relationships among land use, general plant diversity, native plant diversity, plant biovolume, soil nutrient status, and social-economic indices along an indirect urban gradient. A pilot survey was conducted in 1999, and the first full ESCA was conducted in 2000. The maiden survey in 2000 featured a suite of measurements that were not assessed in later surveys, including data from a portable weather station set up during the field survey at each location, organic matter decomposition, pollen, and mycorrhizae. In 2010, the survey was expanded to include an assessment of one of the residential parcels overlapping the survey plot at sites in residential areas. Many of the same variables that are measured in the 30m x 30m survey plot are measured in the p
Composited land surface temperature of the greater Phoenix, Arizona, USA metropolitan area and surrounding Sonoran desert derived from cloud-free, summer (June, July, and August) Landsat imagery: 1985-2020
This project calculates land surface temperature (LST) from remotely sensed imagery. The intent is to extend the previous version of the LST data for the CAP LTER study area in central Arizona, USA to include 2020 and update the products so that they are based on a composite of images from each year (all available cloud-free acquisitions from June, July, and August) in the analysis to reduce the potential for outlier images or pixels to impact analyses. The aim is to make updated LST data accessible to stakeholders and researchers studying the greater Phoenix, Arizona, USA metropolitan area. LST is calculated from cloud-free Landsat 5 and 8 imagery (30m resolution) from summer months (June, July, and August) in 1985, 1990, 1995, 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015, and 2020. All images are cropped to the CAP LTER study area boundary.
Urban Ecological Infrastructure (UEI) in the greater Phoenix, Arizona metropolitan area and surrounding Sonoran desert region (2010-2017)
Urban ecological infrastructure (UEI) encompasses all infrastructure in a city that supports ecological structure and function, and by extension, provides ecosystem services to urban residents and is a broad, all-encompassing concept for "nature in cities". This idea includes commonly recognized forms of infrastructure, such as parks, residential yards, community gardens, lakes and rivers, and street trees. But UEI also includes less recognized forms, such as vacant lots, agricultural fields, canals, and water retention basins. Despite being widely recognized as important to urban landscapes, the wide variety, and various forms of urban ecological infrastructure are rarely documented in a single source. To address this, we consolidated various aquatic, terrestrial, and wetland UEI throughout the Phoenix Metropolitan area so researchers can incorporate this UEI into project designs and models. Since people’s perceptions of UEI differ not only by the three broad classifications but also by the individual characteristics of UEI, each feature is classified not only as aquatic, terrestrial, or wetlands but also given on of fifteen unique classifications. Incorporation of UEI into both planning and research design can promote practices that increase both biodiversity and human well-being while also possibly limiting negative landscape perceptions.
Long-term composited Modified Normalized Difference Water Index (MNDWI) for the greater Phoenix, Arizona, USA, metropolitan area and the surrounding Sonoran desert derived from annual and seasonal Landsat imagery, 1998 to 2023
Abstract ======== This data package consists of multiple decades of modified normalized difference water index (MNDWI) raster data across the Central Arizona-Phoenix Long-Term Ecological Research (CAP LTER) study area within metropolitan Phoenix, Arizona (USA), temporally aggregated by year and by four meteorological seasons (Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall). By providing a metric by which to reliably identify bodies of open water, these MNDWI data are intended to facilitate analyses of land-based environmental variables (e.g., urbanization, vegetation, land surface temperature) and can also be used to track long-term and seasonal change in the coarse extent of open water as a land-cover type. MNDWI was derived, following the methods of Xu (2006), from annual and seasonal composites of 30-m resolution Landsat 5-9 Level-2 Surface Reflectance imagery. All imagery retrieval and data processing were completed with Google Earth Engine (Gorelick et al. 2017) and program R. A complete description of data processing methods, including the aggregation of imagery by year and season and the calculation of the spectral index, can be found in the data package metadata (see \'Methods and Protocols\') and accompanying Javascript code. **Citations:** - Gorelick N, Hancher M, Dixon M, et al. (2017) Google Earth Engine: Planetary-scale geospatial analysis for everyone. Remote Sensing of Environment 202:18--27. <https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2017.06.031> - Xu, H. (2006). Modification of normalised difference water index (NDWI) to enhance open water features in remotely sensed imagery. *International Journal of Remote Sensing*, *27*(14), 3025--3033. <https://doi.org/10.1080/01431160600589179>
Ecological Survey of Central Arizona: a survey of key ecological indicators in the greater Phoenix metropolitan area and surrounding Sonoran desert, ongoing since 1999 (Reformatted to the ecocomDP Design Pattern)
This data package is formatted as an ecocomDP (Ecological Community Data Pattern). For more information on ecocomDP see https://github.com/EDIorg/ecocomDP. This Level 1 data package was derived from the Level 0 data package found here: https://pasta.lternet.edu/package/metadata/eml/knb-lter-cap/652/3. The abstract below was extracted from the Level 0 data package and is included for context: The Ecological Survey of Central Arizona (ESCA) is an extensive field survey and integrated inventory designed to capture key ecological indicators of the CAP LTER study area consisting of the urbanized, suburbanized, and agricultural areas of metropolitan Phoenix, and the surrounding Sonoran desert. The survey, formerly known as the survey 200 and renamed to ESCA in 2015, is conducted every five years at approximately 200 sample plots (30m x 30m) that were located randomly using a tessellation-stratified dual-density sampling design. Study plots cover habitats throughout the CAP LTER study area ranging from native Sonoran desert sites to residential yards to an airport tarmac. Measurements include an inventory of all plants (identified to the lowest possible taxonomic unit, typically species), plant biovolume, soil coring for physicochemical properties, arthropod sweep-net sampling, photo documentation, and a visual survey of site and area characteristics. The objectives of the survey are to (1) characterize patches in terms of key biotic, physical, and chemical variables, and (2) examine relationships among land use, general plant diversity, native plant diversity, plant biovolume, soil nutrient status, and social-economic indices along an indirect urban gradient. A pilot survey was conducted in 1999, and the first full ESCA was conducted in 2000. The maiden survey in 2000 featured a suite of measurements that were not assessed in later surveys, including data from a portable weather station set up during the field survey at each location, organic matter decomposition, pollen,
Ecological Survey of Central Arizona: a survey of key ecological indicators in the greater Phoenix metropolitan area and surrounding Sonoran desert, ongoing since 1999 (Reformatted to a Darwin Core Archive)
This data package is formatted as a Darwin Core Archive (DwC-A, event core). For more information on Darwin Core see https://www.tdwg.org/standards/dwc/. This Level 2 data package was derived from the Level 1 data package found here: https://pasta.lternet.edu/package/metadata/eml/edi/247/3, which was derived from the Level 0 data package found here: https://pasta.lternet.edu/package/metadata/eml/knb-lter-cap/652/3. The abstract below was extracted from the Level 0 data package and is included for context: The Ecological Survey of Central Arizona (ESCA) is an extensive field survey and integrated inventory designed to capture key ecological indicators of the CAP LTER study area consisting of the urbanized, suburbanized, and agricultural areas of metropolitan Phoenix, and the surrounding Sonoran desert. The survey, formerly known as the survey 200 and renamed to ESCA in 2015, is conducted every five years at approximately 200 sample plots (30m x 30m) that were located randomly using a tessellation-stratified dual-density sampling design. Study plots cover habitats throughout the CAP LTER study area ranging from native Sonoran desert sites to residential yards to an airport tarmac. Measurements include an inventory of all plants (identified to the lowest possible taxonomic unit, typically species), plant biovolume, soil coring for physicochemical properties, arthropod sweep-net sampling, photo documentation, and a visual survey of site and area characteristics. The objectives of the survey are to (1) characterize patches in terms of key biotic, physical, and chemical variables, and (2) examine relationships among land use, general plant diversity, native plant diversity, plant biovolume, soil nutrient status, and social-economic indices along an indirect urban gradient. A pilot survey was conducted in 1999, and the first full ESCA was conducted in 2000. The maiden survey in 2000 featured a suite of measurements that were not assessed in later surveys, including data fr
The structural and nutrient chemistry of decomposing cacti in the Sonoran Desert
Cacti are an abundant taxa in the Sonoran Desert, but most research focuses on their population dynamics and physiology and relatively little is currently known regarding their role in desert biogeochemical cycles, particularly regarding their decomposition dynamics. A better understanding of cactus decomposition and their role in ecosystem processes is important, considering there are many threatened and endangered species within this group. In this study, we decomposed two common species of cacti, Opuntia chlorotica (pancake prickly pear) and Cylindropuntia acanthocarpa (buckhorn cholla), in the Sonoran Desert of Arizona, U.S.A. Mass loss, water loss, nutrient content, and structural and metabolic chemistry were measured at regular intervals over the course of one year of decomposition. Our results demonstrate the contribution of cactus decomposition to carbon and nutrient recycling, with dynamics that are overall comparable to those of woody and herbaceous leaf litter for most elements. We enumerate, however, a particularly important role in calcium dynamics in comparison to woody and herbaceous leaf litter. Despite different structural characteristics, both cactus species released nutrients at a statistically equivalent rate, though with altered timing of net immobilization and mineralization due to temporary mass gain and associated nutrient immobilization in cholla. The release of nutrients and water from decaying cacti have a modest influence on underlying soil CO2 flux, secondary to a more dominant influence of overall soil temperature and moisture. Thus, our data provide a baseline for understanding the decay dynamics of two common cactus species and suggest that, while there is still a lack of information pertaining to cactus decomposition, the similarities between leaf litter and cacti will aid our predictions of the consequences of future changes in cactus populations.
Comparing greenhouse and field biocrust cultivation methods in the Sonoran Desert
<p><strong><span>Summary</span></strong></p> <p><span><span>1.<span> </span></span></span><span>Developing methods to use biocrusts in restoration is becoming more important as land use and climate change impact the health and intactness of high-stress ecosystems. Methods of cultivation to maximize production of biocrusts for use in restoration activities is necessary because salvage opportunities are limited. Our objective for this research was to determine an optimal method for scalable biocrust cultivation. </span></p> <p><span><span>2.<span> </span></span></span><span>We tested two Field and one Greenhouse cultivation methods. The Field cultivation methods had a base layer of weed cloth, soil, and irrigation with either 1) shade cloth immediately over the surface (Quesadilla method), or 2) with shade cloth over a 1m tall hoophouse (Hoophouse method). The Greenhouse method had nested basins with water wicking up to the soil surface and biocrust from below, with shade cloth attached to basins. We crossed these methods with the addition of native soil or sand and with and without a base of jute using salvaged biocrusts from the Sonoran Desert. </span></p> <p><span><span>3.<span> </span></span></span><span>All methods led to at least doubling biocrust cover in 11 weeks. The Greenhouse method led to the highest cover of cyanobacteria and mosses, whereas the field Quesadilla method and the addition of native soil in all cultivation methods led to higher abundance of lichens. There were interactions of cultivation method and soil type, with Greenhouse cultivation and native soil promoting the highest cyanobacteria cover and chlorophyll a. We measured exopolysaccharide sheaths (EPS) in native soil and all cultivation conditions, finding no differences for tightly bound sheath fractions, but higher quantities of the loosely bound EPS in the Greenhouse. We also quantified native and non-native plants in cultivation, finding few plants in Greenhouse cultivation, but high abundance in both Field methods, and particularly with native soil and without jute for native plants. </span></p> <p><span><span>4.<span> </span></span></span><em><span>Synthesis and applications</span></em><span>: Together, these results demonstrate that all three cultivation methods are successful for bulking biocrust materials for restoration, and preference should be given to the method that is the easiest and most accessible for practitioners. </span></p> <p><span> </span></p>
Ecological Survey of Central Arizona: soil chemistry and soil properties in the greater Phoenix metropolitan area and surrounding Sonoran desert, survey year 2000
The Ecological Survey of Central Arizona (ESCA) is an extensive field survey and integrated inventory designed to capture key ecological indicators of the CAP LTER study area consisting of the urbanized, suburbanized, and agricultural areas of metropolitan Phoenix, and the surrounding Sonoran desert. The survey is conducted every five years at approximately 200 sample plots (30m x 30m) that were located randomly using a tessellation-stratified dual-density sampling design. Study plots cover habitats throughout the CAP LTER study area ranging from native Sonoran desert sites to residential yards to an airport tarmac. Measurements include an inventory of all plants (identified to the lowest possible taxonomic unit, typically species), plant biovolume, soil coring for physicochemical properties, arthropod sweep-net sampling, photo documentation, and a visual survey of site and area characteristics. The objectives of the survey are to (1) characterize patches in terms of key biotic, physical, and chemical variables, and (2) examine relationships among land use, general plant diversity, native plant diversity, plant biovolume, soil nutrient status, and social-economic indices along an indirect urban gradient. This data set focuses specifically on soil chemistry and soil properties assessed during the 2000 survey year. Investigators interested in soil data from more recent surveys or other measured variables should search the data catalog for 'ecological survey of central arizona' or 'survey 200' to locate those and other data related to the CAP LTER's ESCA.
Plant survey of current vegetation of Sonoran desert plant community distribution in mountain parks in central Arizona-Phoenix, August 1999.
This study represents an effort to map the distribution of plant community types across the Central Arizona - Phoenix Long Term Ecological Research (CAP-LTER) site centered in metropolitan Phoenix using Landsat ETM data. Vegetation classification was carried out using field data collected from within the study area describing woody plant species. A system was devised which represented a compromise between providing floristic information and enabling maximum spectral discrimination between community types. Image classification used reference spectra derived from training sites in the field and was carried out on subsets defined by soil surface texture in order to control for the strong background soil signature inherent to arid regions. While groundtruthing revealed that vegetation on clayey soils was mapped to 91% accuracy, other sections produced maps with less accuracy. The results of this study demonstrate that image classification of desert vegetation using only Landsat ETM data is problematic and may not be practical without other supporting data, such as radar imaging.
Plant Survey of Current Vegetation: MAP OF SONORAN DESERT PLANT COMMUNITY DISTRIBUTION IN THE CAPLTER STUDY AREA, PHOENIX, ARIZONA
This study represents an effort to map the distribution of plant community types across the Central Arizona - Phoenix Long Term Ecological Research (CAP-LTER) site centered in metropolitan Phoenix using Landsat ETM data. Vegetation classification was carried out using field data collected from within the study area describing woody plant species. A system was devised which represented a compromise between providing floristic information and enabling maximum spectral discrimination between community types. Image classification used reference spectra derived from training sites in the field and was carried out on subsets defined by soil surface texture in order to control for the strong background soil signature inherent to arid regions. While groundtruthing revealed that vegetation on clayey soils was mapped to 91% accuracy, other sections produced maps with less accuracy. The results of this study demonstrate that image classification of desert vegetation using only Landsat ETM data is problematic and may not be practical without other supporting data, such as radar imaging.This project attempts to produce a vegetation distribution map across undeveloped parcels of outlying desert wilderness, as well as remnant mountain parks throughout the city, contained within the Central Arizona Phoenix Long Term Ecological Research (CAPLTER) study area. This effort seeks to create the first successful classification map of Sonoran Desert vegetation derived from satellite imagery. The map would also be the first fine-scale map of plant community types in the Phoenix region. The depiction would allow for a calculation of the land area covered by each vegetation class, and which communities are exposed to development pressures. This map potentially provides a basis from which researchers can measure vegetative biomass distribution across the landscape and attempt to incorporate this component into ecological models of energy flows and biogeochemical cycling in the CAP-LTER site. I
Physiological consequences of urbanization to Sonoran Desert birds
As cities expand worldwide, understanding how species adapt to novel urban habitats will become increasingly important to conservation. The adrenocortical stress response enables vertebrates to cope with novel environmental challenges to homeostasis. We examined baseline and stress-induced corticosterone (CORT) concentrations in three songbird species within and around Phoenix, Arizona. We tested whether baseline and stress-induced CORT patterns differed among species living at varying densities in Phoenix and tested the hypothesis that, for species capable of successfully colonizing cities, individuals living in urban areas have a decreased acute stress response compared to individuals living in native desert. Baseline CORT levels were generally similar in urban and desert birds. Capture and handling stress typically produced greater total CORT responses in urban birds than in desert birds, although these responses differed as a function of sampling date. Urban birds showed less seasonal variability in stress responses than desert birds. We propose that more predictable resources in the city than in rural areas may decrease the need to vary stress responsiveness across life history stages. The results highlight the species-specific effects of urbanization on stress physiology and the difficulty to predict how urbanization impacts organisms.
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Allen Brain Atlas
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Annotated Behaviour and Observability Dataset (ABODe)
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DANDI Archive for NWB datasets
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International Brain Laboratory public data
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OpenNeuro
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