Abstract
Laser scanning, also known as light detection and ranging (LiDAR), is an active remote sensing technology, which provides 3D information of surfaces. This information can be used for a broad range of applications, such as assessment of topography and structural information about the vegetation cover, including canopy density and canopy architecture, which are relevant to hydrological studies. In this chapter we present and discuss how LiDAR data can be applied in studies of forest-water interactions. LiDAR-derived digital terrain models (DTMs) are an integral part of distributed hydrological models and enable us to assess the entire catchment areas. Assessments of vegetation properties can be assisted by LiDAR data, thereby increasing the detail and accuracy of how vegetation is represented in hydrological models. LiDAR applications to forest-water interactions in riparian zones present a special case in this chapter, where the components of terrain, river bed and stream cross-section, and vegetation assessment are combined to describe and quantify the status of the riparian biosphere. With the analyses of LiDAR data, estimates of variables, which are relevant for hydrological modelling, can be improved. These analyses can be performed on an area-wide scale and enable analyses that would not be feasible using manual field techniques.
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Schumacher, J., Christiansen, J.R. (2020). LiDAR Applications to Forest-Water Interactions. In: Levia, D.F., Carlyle-Moses, D.E., Iida, S., Michalzik, B., Nanko, K., Tischer, A. (eds) Forest-Water Interactions. Ecological Studies, vol 240. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-26086-6_4
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