June 9, 2019
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Article

Spatially-Explicit Testing of a General Aboveground Carbon Density Estimation Model in aWestern Amazonian Forest Using Airborne LiDAR

Publicated to: Remote Sensing. 8 (1): 9- - 2016-01-01 8(1), DOI: 10.3390/rs8010009

Authors:

Molina, PX; Asner, GP; Abadía, MF; Manrique, JCO; Diez, LAS; Valencia, R
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Affiliations

Carnegie Inst Sci, Dept Global Ecol, 260 Panama St - Author
Pontificia Univ Catolica Ecuador, Escuela Ciencias Biol, Lab Ecol Plantas, Apartado 17-01-2184 - Author
SEMEPRO: Seguridad y Mejora de Procesos. Universidad Politécnica de Madrid - Author
Tech Univ Madrid UPM, C Ramiro de Maeztu 7 - Author
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Abstract

Mapping aboveground carbon density in tropical forests can support CO2 emission monitoring and provide benefits for national resource management. Although LiDAR technology has been shown to be useful for assessing carbon density patterns, the accuracy and generality of calibrations of LiDAR- based aboveground carbon density ( ACD) predictions with those obtained from field inventory techniques should be intensified in order to advance tropical forest carbon mapping. Here we present results from the application of a general ACD estimation model applied with small- footprint LiDAR data and field- based estimates of a 50- ha forest plot in Ecuador's Yasuni National Park. Subplots used for calibration and validation of the general LiDAR equation were selected based on analysis of topographic position and spatial distribution of aboveground carbon stocks. The results showed that stratification of plot locations based on topography can improve the calibration and application of ACD estimation using airborne LiDAR ( R2 = 0.94, RMSE = 5.81 Mg center dot C center dot ha - 1, BIAS = 0.59). These results strongly suggest that a general LiDAR- based approach can be used for mapping aboveground carbon stocks in western lowland Amazonian forests.
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Keywords

Aboveground carbon densityAccuracyBiomassBiomass dynamicsEcuadorLidarLive biomassPlotPrecisionPredictionStocksTopographic featuresTropical rainforest

Quality index

Bibliometric impact. Analysis of the contribution and dissemination channel

The work has been published in the journal Remote Sensing due to its progression and the good impact it has achieved in recent years, according to the agency WoS (JCR), it has become a reference in its field. In the year of publication of the work, 2016, it was in position 7/29, thus managing to position itself as a Q1 (Primer Cuartil), in the category Remote Sensing.

Independientemente del impacto esperado determinado por el canal de difusión, es importante destacar el impacto real observado de la propia aportación.

Según las diferentes agencias de indexación, el número de citas acumuladas por esta publicación hasta la fecha 2026-04-25:

  • WoS: 20
  • Scopus: 20
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Impact and social visibility

From the perspective of influence or social adoption, and based on metrics associated with mentions and interactions provided by agencies specializing in calculating the so-called "Alternative or Social Metrics," we can highlight as of 2026-04-25:

  • The use, from an academic perspective evidenced by the Altmetric agency indicator referring to aggregations made by the personal bibliographic manager Mendeley, gives us a total of: 76.
  • The use of this contribution in bookmarks, code forks, additions to favorite lists for recurrent reading, as well as general views, indicates that someone is using the publication as a basis for their current work. This may be a notable indicator of future more formal and academic citations. This claim is supported by the result of the "Capture" indicator, which yields a total of: 76 (PlumX).

With a more dissemination-oriented intent and targeting more general audiences, we can observe other more global scores such as:

  • The Total Score from Altmetric: 9.
  • The number of mentions on the social network Facebook: 1 (Altmetric).
  • The number of mentions on the social network X (formerly Twitter): 14 (Altmetric).

It is essential to present evidence supporting full alignment with institutional principles and guidelines on Open Science and the Conservation and Dissemination of Intellectual Heritage. A clear example of this is:

  • The work has been submitted to a journal whose editorial policy allows open Open Access publication.
  • Assignment of a Handle/URN as an identifier within the deposit in the Institutional Repository: https://oa.upm.es/38933/

As a result of the publication of the work in the institutional repository, statistical usage data has been obtained that reflects its impact. In terms of dissemination, we can state that, as of

  • Views: 538
  • Downloads: 391
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Leadership analysis of institutional authors

This work has been carried out with international collaboration, specifically with researchers from: Ecuador; United States of America.

There is a significant leadership presence as some of the institution’s authors appear as the first or last signer, detailed as follows: First Author (Xavier Molina, Patricio) .

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Awards linked to the item

Funding for this study was provided by the Secretariat for Higher Education, Science, Technology and Innovation of the Republic of Ecuador (SENESCYT). The Forest Dynamics Plot of Yasuni National Park has been made possible through the generous support of the US National Science Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador, the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, and the University of Airbus of Denmark. The Yasuni Forest Dynamics Plot is part of the Center for Tropical Forest Science, a global network of large-scale demographic tree plots. The Principal Investigator of the Yasuni Forest Dynamics Plot is R. Valencia. We thank N. Vaughn of the Carnegie Airborne Observatory for assistance and advice with LiDAR data processing, and three anonymous reviewers for comments on a previous version of this manuscript. G.P. Asner was supported by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. We gratefully acknowledge the support of Instituto Geografico Militar del Ecuador for LiDAR data collection. The Ecuadorian Ministerio del Ambiente granted permission for our work in Yasuni National Park.
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