Spaceborne LiDAR as a vegetation biomass scaling tool

The broad aim of my research is to establish a more direct link between satellite earth observation light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data and above-ground plant structure and biomass. New orbital LiDAR data provided by NASA’s GEDI sensor on the International Space Station (ISS) allows for the large scale assessment of vegetation vertical structure not previously possible with conventional aerial LiDAR or plot based surveys. Through the use of radiative transfer modeling, my research aims to assess the sensitivity of GEDI full-waveform LiDAR across a broad range of Australian vegetation types.

Advisors: Dr William Woodgate, Professor Stuart Phinn

Funding: Earmarked Scholarship Scheme