Evaluating a farmland ecosystem service using MODIS

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Evaluating a farmland ecosystem service using
MODIS

• Jason Kreitler
• May 20th, 2005
• ESM266

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Goal of the analysis

• Illustrate farmland is valuable for more than its
  simple provisioning service
• ecosystem service of carbon sequestration
• Develop a technique to assess this ecosystem
  service spatially and temporally (nation, state,
  season, year, etc)

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Methods of analysis

• Measure Gross Primary Productivity (GPP)
• The rate at which a plant or ecosystem fixes
  carbon

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MOD17A2 data product

• Inputs measured with the MODIS satellite
• Algorithm based on Monteith (1972)
• Derived from MODIS LAI/FPAR, land cover, and
  biome specific climatology data
• 1km resolution global coverage

Monteith, J.L.,1972. Solar radiation and
productivity in tropical ecosystems. Journal of
Applied Ecology. (9) 747-766.
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MOD17A2 data product
http//edcdaac.usgs.gov/modis/mod17a2v4.asp
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Data inputs

• MOD17A2
• Map of California farmland
• Map of California county boundaries

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Data processing in ModelBuilder
final
operations
(process repeated for all scenes)
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Results

• California Farmland totals
• Jan 01 205,000 metric tons C/day
• July 03 819,000 metric tons C/day
• CA CO2 1,000,000 metric tons C/day

Table values in gC/m2/day
Californias Greenhouse Gas Emission Inventory,
1990. www.epa.gov
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Conclusion

• California farmland sequesters 80 of CO2
  emissions in summer, 20 in winter
• Wouldnt it be neat if we valued carbon
  sequestration and other ecosystem services?