NEON-SD: A 30-m Structural Diversity Product Derived from the NEON Discrete-Return LiDAR Point Cloud

Abstract

Abstract Structural diversity (SD) characterizes the volume and physical arrangement of biotic components in an ecosystem which control critical ecosystem functions and processes. LiDAR data provides detailed 3-D spatial position information of components and has been widely used to calculate SD. However, the intensive computation of SD metrics from extensive LiDAR datasets is time-consuming and challenging for researchers who lack access to high-performance computing resources. Moreover, a lack of understanding of LiDAR data and algorithms could lead to inconsistent SD metrics. Here, we developed a SD product using the Discrete-Return LiDAR Point Cloud from the NEON Aerial Observation Platform. This product provides SD metrics detailing height, density, openness, and complexity at a spatial resolution of 30 m, aligned to the Landsat grids, for 211 site-years for 45 Terrestrial NEON sites from 2013 to 2022. To accommodate various ecosystems with different understory heights, it includes three different cut-off heights (0.5 m, 2 m, and 5 m). This structural diversity product can enable various applications such as ecosystem productivity estimation and disturbance monitoring.