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Analysis of biometry measurements in Karlovac Promenade
Organization(s):OS Dubovac
Country:Croatia
Student(s):Esma Šabanović, Zoea Benković, Lana Blažan
Grade Level:Middle School (grades 6-8, ages 11-14)
GLOBE Educator(s):Snježana Marković-Zoraja, Kristina Fratrović
Contributors:Brian Campbell
NASA Senior Earth Science Specialist and Subject Matter Expert (SME)
Report Type(s):International Virtual Science Symposium Report, Standard Research Report
Protocols:Biometry (including Tree Height), Carbon Cycle
Presentation Poster:
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Language(s):English
Date Submitted:01/13/2025
Karlovac Promenade is an alley located next to the Karlovac Star. The aim of the research project was to present the local community with the importance of the Promenade's trees in the carbon cycle.
In the field, students conducted biometric measurements on 190 trees along the Promenade. The circumference of all the trees was measured, and their age was calculated. Using the GLOBE Observer application, the height of each tree was calculated, and their location was determined. For all trees, breast diameter, green weight and dry weight, stored carbon, and absorbed carbon dioxide were calculated. The results showed that the Promenade is a significant carbon storage area, with old trees being particularly important. In the era of climate change, it is essential to preserve stored carbon because its release into the atmosphere (through decay or burning) increases the amount of carbon dioxide, which intensifies the greenhouse effect.
The measured tree heights from the Promenade were compared with database data on the Earth Engine Apps and Open Altimetry platforms. The analysis conducted on the Earth Engine Apps platform showed no data on cover dynamics in the researched area from 2000 to 2020. The analysis conducted on the Earth Engine Apps platform, which displays data from the GEDI satellite (Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation), showed incomplete data on canopy height in the research area, so a comparison could not be made. Additionally, the existing data, show the average height of trees within a pixel, while the height of individual trees cannot be read. The analysis conducted on the Open Altimetry platform, which displays images from the ICE-SAT 2 satellite, showed no data because the satellite's paths did not pass over the researched Promenade area.
In an international webinar, NASA scientist Brian Campbell explained to students that their field research on vegetation cover is very important because satellites still cannot capture all canopy heights and can’t record the height of each tree on Earth, especially in urban environments.