Research
Petri Alhainen (left) and John Gamon (center) on board the UNL research plane with the imaging fluorometer (IBIS) (right)
What we do
We study the “breathing of the planet” – the exchanges of carbon and water vapour between the biosphere and the atmosphere that affect ecosystem productivity and help regulate our atmosphere and climate. Of particular interest are the effects of disturbance (fires, succession, weather events and climate change) on these basic processes. Additional research questions involve the detection of plant physiology, ecosystem function, species composition, and biodiversity using non-contact sampling methods. Much of this work is done with optical monitoring (remote sensing and automated field methods), and entails the development of new monitoring methods and related informatics tools.
To encourage wider usage of these methods, Dr. Gamon co-founded SpecNet, (Spectral Network), a network of collaborating sites and investigators using optical sampling methods (particularly spectral reflectance) to studying ecological questions. He conducts fieldwork in a range of ecosystems from the Arctic to the Tropics.
Current research focuses on methods for integrating different measurements of biospheric carbon fluxes and stocks to facilitate carbon markets.
Research areas
- Disturbance effects on ecosystem function
- Climate change impacts in northern latitude ecosystems
- Remote sensing for sampling terrestrial ecosystem composition and function
- Detecting plant biochemical responses with non-contact optical methods
- Plant ecophysiology, particularly related to photosynthesis and environmental stress
- Eco-informatics and Cyberinfrastructure for monitoring ecosystem health and biospheric carbon stocks & fluxes
Research Opportunities
We welcome inquiries from students interested in ecology (ecophysiology, ecosystems ecology, biodiversity), remote sensing, ecosystem modeling and eco-informatics and cyberinfrastructure.
Opportunities within the Gamon Lab are available for students attending the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Dr. Gamon directs the CALMIT Hyperspectral Aerial Monitoring Program. See our NSF and NASA and Photoproxy/Jülich/European Space Agency collaborative research project descriptions, and apply to our lab!