Vegetation Community Functioning on the Barrier Islands of the Delmarva Peninsula: Investigation of Site Water Relations and Environmental Change, and the Use of an Experimental Lidar to Determine Leaf Area Index

The proposed study will investigate the effects of site water conditions on barrier island vegetation, and further apply the findings to the characterization of the relationship between these water/vegetation conditions and environmental forcing factors such as sea level rise, climate change and geomorphologic change. Measurement of vegetation biophysical properties like Leaf Area Index (LAI) will be accomplished with a unique small-footprint airborne scanning lidar (Light Detections and Ranging) system. Field sampling will verify remotely sensed data, and describe site water relations. Resource (water), geomorphic, and vegetation assemblage gradients identified by field observation will be tested for correlation with patterns in LAI and other pertinent vegetation measures like height, basal area, and community structure. This novel combination of remotely sensed properties and field environmental data will be developed to investigate fundamental physiological interactions (such as water and LAI in transpiration) and characterize and monitor effects of environmental change on island vegetation