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Thomas Holst

Researcher

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Towards a remote-sensing-driven model of isoprene emissions from Alpine tundra

Author

  • Andreas Westergaard-Nielsen
  • R S Maigaard
  • Cleo L. Davie-Martin
  • Roger Seco
  • Thomas Holst
  • Norbert Pirk
  • S N Laursen
  • Riikka Rinnan

Summary, in English

This study investigates isoprene emissions in a high-latitude Alpine tundra ecosystem, focusing on using near-field remote sensing of surface temperatures, the photochemical reflectance index (PRI) and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), and meteorological measurements to model these emissions. Isoprene is a key biogenic volatile organic compound (BVOC) emitted by select plants, which can impact atmospheric chemistry and climate. Increased temperatures, particularly in high latitudes, may enhance isoprene emissions due to extended growing seasons and heightened plant stress. The research was conducted in Finse, Norway, where isoprene and CO2 fluxes were measured with eddy covariance alongside spectral and meteorological data, and surface temperature. A random forest (RF) model was developed to predict isoprene fluxes, considering the variable importance of different environmental factors. The results showed that surface temperature and CO2 flux were consistently important predictors, across three differential temporal data aggregations (hourly, daily, weekly), while the PRI demonstrated low predictive power, possibly due to the heterogeneous vegetation and variable light conditions. The NDVI was more effective than anticipated, likely linked to phenological changes in vegetation. Model performance varied with temporal resolution, with weekly data achieving the highest predictive accuracy (R2 up to 0.76). The RF model accurately reflected seasonal emission patterns but underestimated short-term peaks, suggesting the potential to combine machine learning with process-based modelling. This research highlights the promise of proxy data from remote sensing for scaling BVOC emission models to regional levels, essential for understanding climate impacts in Arctic ecosystems.

Department/s

  • MERGE: ModElling the Regional and Global Earth system
  • Centre for Healthy Indoor Environments
  • LTH Profile Area: Aerosols
  • Dept of Physical Geography and Ecosystem Science
  • BECC: Biodiversity and Ecosystem services in a Changing Climate

Publishing year

2025-09-23

Language

English

Publication/Series

Environmental Research Letters

Volume

20

Issue

10

Document type

Journal article

Publisher

IOP Publishing

Topic

  • Physical Geography
  • Earth Observation

Status

Published

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 1748-9326