2013 kicked off with another new addition to the SALCA team.
Steve Hancock (previously at Swansea University) started work as a Postdoctoral Research Associate at Newcastle University as the latest NERC grant got under way The project is examining the potential of dual-wavelength laser
scanning for monitoring leaf moisture content at canopy scales through both
laboratory and small-scale field experiments at one of the Newcastle University
farms. The initial project meeting,
including project partners from Salford (Mark Danson, Lucy Walker) and UCL (Mat
Disney, Andrew Burt), was held in January, providing a useful opportunity to
catch up on progress, introduce new members of the team and make future plans.
Since then Steve has been busy planning experiments and these are now under way
with SALCA on loan from Salford University for the next month. Priorities include
examining leaf-level responses from a variety of species (including conifers)
and undertaking laboratory-based scans of small trees. Other efforts (at Newcastle and Salford) are
focussed on code and model development to improve data analysis and understanding
of the SALCA signal. Expect more soon from Steve as he starts to produce some preliminary
results!
Steve, with SALCA, at Newcastle University
