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Title: JORNEX: A LONG-TERM EXPERIMENT TO STUDY ARID RANGELANDS USING REMOTE SENSING TECHNIQUES

Author
item Ritchie, Jerry
item Rango, Albert
item SCHMUGGE, THOMAS - NEW MEXICO STATE UNIV

Submitted to: American Geophysical Union
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/15/2006
Publication Date: 5/29/2006
Citation: Ritchie, J.C., Rango, A., Schmugge, T.J. 2006. JORNEX: A long-term experiment to study arid rangelands using remote sensing techniques [abstract]. American Geophysical Union. 87(36):H43B-02.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: The Jornada Experimental Range in southern New Mexico and the Sevilleta Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) in Central New Mexico provide unique opportunities to study arid rangelands using remote sensing techniques. Research at the Jornada has been conducted continuously since 1912 by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and since 1981 as a National Science Foundation LTER site. Research at the Sevilleta LTER has been continuous since 1988. These long-term investigations provide unique base ground data on vegetation characteristics, ecosystem dynamics, and vegetation response to changing physical and biological conditions. To complement these ongoing programs of ground measurements, a campaign named JORNEX (JORNada EXperiment) began in 1995 to collect remotely sensed data from ground, aircraft, and satellite platforms to provide spatial and temporal data on the physical and biological states of these arid rangelands. A wide range of ground, aircraft, and satellite data have been collected on the physical, vegetative, thermal, and radiometric properties of the vegetation communities (grass, transition (grass to shrub), and shrub) typical of arid rangeland of southwestern U.S. deserts. Data from these different platforms allow the evaluation of vegetation, energy, and water exchange at different scales. These measurements are being used to quantify hydrologic budgets and plant responses to changes in components of the water and energy balance at the Jornada and Sevilleta.