Land Cover Investigation Use satellite images of your school and community to monitor changes through time (Google Earth or LandSat). Choose a land cover area near your school to study in fall and spring to see seasonal changes. Identify the land cover classification of the site and do GLOBE measurements of this local site on the ground. Send ground measurement data to GLOBE scientists so they can validate what they see in satellite images (you can also compare your ground data to satellite images).

Questions we might ask about our local Land Cover Does our oak forest habitat change through the seasons? How does our school yard change in different seasons? Where is the best place to plant crops in our watershed? Did winter storms affect our land cover? How is the land cover at a field trip site different than our school yard?

Site to determine its MUC class.

Look for a homogeneous or uniform area in the satellite image to measure on the ground.

False color LandSat image of Elkhorn Slough Jan. 30, 2017 Can you see Elkhorn Slough in this image? Can you see the area called 5 fingers branching off the lower right part of the slough? South of Elkhorn Slough is the Salinas River. It looks green in this image.

Zoomed closer. Notice the little squares or pixels that make up this image. Can you see the railroad track in the middle of this image of the slough? Can you see the bluish gray ag field on the right? The VC and Oak Forest study site are labeled. Oak Forest Visitor Center

Zoomed in more the 3X3 pixel oaks area is our homogeneous study site in the oak forest!

We can see the area more clearly using Google Earth.

Zoomed in closer

And closer… Do you see the parking lot at the reserve. The big barn And closer… Do you see the parking lot at the reserve? The big barn? Our study site is in the oak forest in the middle. Let’s go out and take biometry measurements under the trees! Oak Forest study site

How to establish the 30 x 30 meter plot Locate the 4 cardinal directions from the center – N, S, E, W. Take pictures of these and send in to GLOBE Document the sample area with pictures. From the center point, take 4 pictures – one in each of the cardinal directions. Keep a copy for classroom use and send a copy to GLOBE.

How to establish the 30 x 30 meter plot The corners of the plot will be NE, NW, SE, SW directions. Measure (or pace) 21.2 meters from the center towards each corner mark each with a flag To mark the four corners of the 30m x 30m plot, pace (or measure) 21.2m from the center toward each corner. Place a flag at each corner.

Collecting biometry data in the 30 x 30 meter plot Take canopy and groundcover measurements along the 21.2m half- diagonal. Walk the half-diagonal (21.2m), this time taking measurements of canopy cover (with densiometer) and groundcover. These measurements are needed to determine the MUC classification of the sample area. The circles on the bottom left represent the view through a densiometer. When foliage is in the crosshairs mark a +; when there is no foliage in the crosshairs mark a -. + -

Collecting biometry data in the 30 x 30 meter plot Additional biometry data will ensure an accurate MUC classification. Additional biometry measurements – such as tree height, tree circumference, or graminoid biomass – may be necessary to get an accurate MUC classification. Graminoid – grass-like

Biometry measurements Determine the most detailed MUC classification: Determine the dominant type of land cover Determine the dominant tree species Measure tree height and circumference. Identifying what other types of vegetation are present. Factors to assess in order to determine the most accurate MUC classification: 1. Dominant Land Cover: If tree canopy cover is at least 40% and canopy is over 5m (15ft), then the site is a Closed Forest or Woodland. If tree canopy cover is less than 40% and ground cover is more than 60%, then the site is Herbaceous Vegetation. 2. Dominant Tree Species: Count the number of times each tree species was counted (as measured through the densiometer). The one counted the most is the dominant species and the one counted second-most is the co-dominant species. 3. To Measure Trees: Measure the height of the tallest tree, the shortest tree, and 3 trees with heights in between. Measure the circumference (at Breast Height – or at 1.35m above ground) of these same 5 trees. Do this for both dominant and co-dominant tree species. If not 5 co-dominant species, measure enough other trees to total 5 readings (note using other species in the Metadata section when entering GLOBE data). If site is not a Forest or Woodland, refer to the Biometry Protocol Student Field Guide for which additional biometry measurements are needed to properly determine the MUC code.