Laura Chasmer
Research Associate, CRRC, Wilfrid Laurier University
Ph.D. Queen’s University
MES University of Waterloo
BES University of Waterloo

Interests:

Climate change; remote sensing; long-term ecosystem change; energy and mass (CO2, H2O) exchanges; discontinuous permafrost; forestry; scaling; ecosystem models

My research at the CRC focuses on the influence of canopy structure and ground surface topography on energy balance and scalar fluxes within northern boreal and discontinuous permafrost ecosystems. To do this, I use a range of remote sensing technologies (including airborne and terrestrial lidar systems), hydrometeorological equipment, and in situ measurements. Most of my collaborative research at WLU is with Dr. Rich Petrone, but I also work with Drs. William Quinton and Jennifer Baltzer and others in the UK, USA, Australia and Europe.

Peer Reviewed Publications

Petrone, R., L. Chasmer, S.M. Brown, C. Hopkinson, U. Silins, S. Landhausser, N. Kljun, K. J. Devito, Effects of harvesting on CO2 and H2O Fluxes during wet and dry years in an aspen dominated Western Boreal Plain Forest. Hydrological Processes. Submitted January, 2013.

Petrone, R., L. Chasmer, K. Devito, N. Kljun, and J.M. Waddington. Real-time CO2 and energy exchange during the Utikuma complex forest fire, Alberta, Canada. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology. Submitted January, 2013.

Baltzer, J.L., T. Veness, W. L. Quinton, and L.E. Chasmer. Forests on thawing permafrost: fragmentation, edge effects and net forest loss. Global Change Biology. Submitted January 2013.

Hopkinson, C., J. Lovell, L. Chasmer, D. Jupp, N. Kljun, and E. van Gorsel, Integrating terrestrial and airborne lidar to calibrate a 3D canopy model of effective leaf area index. Remote Sensing of Environment. Submitted January 7 2013.

van Gorsel, E., A.J.A. Berni, P. Briggs, A. Cabello-Leblic, L. Chasmer, H.A. Cleugh, J. Hacker, S. Hantson, V. Haverd, D. Hughes, C. Hopkinson, H. Keith, N. Kljun, R. Leuning, M. Yebra, and S. Zegelin, Primary and secondary effects of climate variability on carbon and water exchange in an evergreen Eucalyptus forest. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, Special Issue on Carbon and Water Coupling. Submitted December 2012

Wasser, L., L. Chasmer, A. Taylor, and R. Day, Assessing anthropogenic and edge effect influence on forested riparian buffer spatial configuration and structure using LiDAR remote sensing methods. Ecological Applications. Submitted December, 2012.

Brown, S.M., R. Petrone, L. Chasmer, C. Mendoza, M. Lazerjan, and D. Devito, The influence of rooting zone soil moisture on evapotransipiration from above and within a Western Boreal Plain aspen forest. Hydrological Processes. Accepted.

Wasser, L., R. Day, L. Chasmer, and A. Taylor, Influence of vegetation structure on lidar-derived canopy height and fractional cover in forested riparian buffers during leaf-off and leaf-on conditions. PLOS ONE. Accepted.

Hopkinson, C., L. Chasmer, D. Colville, R. Fournier, R. Hall, J. Luther, T. Milne, R. Petrone, and B. St.-Onge, Moving towards consistent ALS monitoring of forest attributes across Canada; the ‘C-CLEAR’ approach. Photogrammetric Engineering and Remote Sensing – National LiDAR special issue. In press.

Hopkinson, C., L. Chasmer, N. Kljun, E. van Gorsel, H. McCaughey, A. Barr, and A. Black, 2012. ALS monitoring of changes in forest biomass and carbon storage. SilviLaser peer reviewed proceedings, September, Vancouver BC, Canada.

Chasmer, L., Kenward, A., W. Quinton, and R. Petrone, 2012. CO2 exchanges within zones of rapid conversion from permafrost plateau to bog and fen land cover types. Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research. 44(4): 13 pgs.

Los, S.O., Rosette, J.A.B., Kljun, N., North, P.R.J., Chasmer, L., Suarez, J.C., Hopkinson, C., Hill, R.A., van Gorsel, E., Mahoney, C., Berni, J.A.J. 2011. Vegetation height products between 60o S and 60o N from ICESat and GLAS data. Geoscientific Model Development. 5:413-432.

Chasmer, L., N. Kljun, C. Hopkinson, S. Brown, T. Milne, K. Giroux, A. Barr, K. Devito, I. Creed, and R. Petrone 2011. Characterizing vegetation structural and topographic characteristics sampled by eddy covariance within two mature aspen stands using lidar and a flux footprint model: Scaling to MODIS, J. Geophys. Res., 116, G02026, doi:10.1029/2010JG001567.

Chasmer, L., W. Quinton, C. Hopkinson, R. Petrone, and P. Whittington, 2011. Vegetation canopy and radiation controls on permafrost plateau evolution within the discontinuous permafrost zone, Northwest Territories, Canada. Permafrost and Periglacial Processes. DOI: 10.1002/ppp.724.

Chasmer, L., C. Hopkinson, and W. Quinton, 2011. Quantifying errors in permafrost plateau change from optical data, Northwest Territories, Canada: 1947 to 2008. Canadian Journal of Remote Sensing – CRSS Special Issue. 36(2):S211-S223.

Lovell, J.L., D.L.B. Jupp, E. van Gorsel, J. Jimenez-Berni, C. Hopkinson, and L. Chasmer, 2011. Foliage profiles from ground based waveform and discrete point lidar. SilviLaser peer reviewed proceedings, Oct. 16-20, Hobart, Australia.

Fox, A., C. Hopkinson, L. Chasmer, and A. Wile, 2011. Stability of LiDAR-derived raster canopy attributes with changing pulse repetition frequency. SilviLaser peer reviewed proceedings, Oct. 16-20, Hobart, Australia.

Chasmer, L., C. Hopkinson, R. Petrone, and W. Quinton, 2011. Fusion of airborne LiDAR and WorldView-2 MS data for classification of depth to permafrost within Canada’s sub-Arctic. SilviLaser peer reviewed proceedings, Oct. 16-20, Hobart, Australia.

Chasmer, L., N. Kljun, C. Hopkinson, S. Brown, T. Milne, K. Giroux, A. Barr, K. Devito, I. Creed, and R. Petrone 2011. Using a flux footprint model and airborne LiDAR to characterize vegetation structure and topography frequently sampled by eddy covariance: Implications for MODIS product validation. SilviLaser peer reviewed proceedings, Oct. 16-20, Hobart, Australia.

Berni, A.J., N. Kljun, E. Van Gorsel, V. Haverd, R. Leuning, A. Cabello-Leblic, A. Held, C. Hopkinson, L. Chasmer, 2011. 3D spatial distribution of biophysical parameters derived from hyperspectral and lidar remote sensing. Improving the constraints in land surface modelling. 34th International Symposium on Remote Sensing of Environment. Sydney Australia. April 10-15.

Van Gorsel, E., N. Kljun, R. Leuning, A.J. Berni, A. Cabello-Leblic, A. Held, V. Haverd, C. Hopkinson, L. Chasmer, and K Youngentob, 2011. Use of high resolution lidar and hyperspectral data to evaluate the sensitivity of net ecosystem exchange to stand structural and plant chemical properties. 34th International Symposium on Remote Sensing of Environment. Sydney Australia. April 10-15.

Quinton, W., L. Chasmer, and R. Petrone, 2011. Permafrost loss and a new approach to the study of subarctic ecosystems in transition. IUGG Conference, IAHS Red Book, 4pgs.

Hilker, T., F.G. Hall, N.C. Coops, A. Lyapustin, Y. Wang, N. Grant, Z. Nesic, T. A. Black, M. Wulder, N. Kljun, L. Chasmer, C. Hopkinson, 2010. Remote sensing of photosynthetic light use efficiency across two forested biomes (1): spatial scaling.  Remote Sensing of Environment.  114:2863-2874.

Quinton, W., M. Hayashi, and L. Chasmer. 2010. Permafrost thaw in the Canadian sub-arctic: Some implications for water resources. Hydrological Processess Scientific Briefing. DOI: 10.1002/hyp.7894.

Hopkinson, C., L. Chasmer, S. Munro, and M. Demuth, 2010. Examining influences of scaling radiation and melt on glaciers. Hydrological Processes. 24:774-788.

Fox, A., C. Hopkinson, and L. Chasmer, 2010. Simulating canopy transmittance using LiDAR echo classification, vertical intensity and spatial point density distributions. IAHS Red Book, September 25 2010. Jackson Hole, WY. 4pgs.

Morrison, H., C. Hopkinson, L. Chasmer, and N. Kljun, 2010. A GIS modeling routine to optimize LiDAR-based effective leaf area index values in a boreal forest watershed. IAHS Red Book, September 25 2010. Jackson Hole, WY. 4pgs.

Chasmer, L., R. Petrone, S. Brown, C. Hopkinson, C. Mendoza, J. Diiwu, W. Quinton, and K. Devito, 2011. Sensitivity of modeled evapotranspiration to canopy characteristics within the Western Boreal Plain, Alberta. C. Neale and R. Gerber (eds.) IAHS Red Book, September 25 2010. Jackson Hole, WY. 4pgs.

Quinton, W., M. Hayashi, and L. Chasmer, 2009. Peatland hydrology of discontinuous permafrost in the Northwest Territories: Overview and synthesis. Canadian Journal of Water Resources. 34(4):311-328.

Wharton, S., L. Chasmer, M. Falk, K.T. Paw U, 2009. Strong links between teleconnections and canopy CO2 exchange found at a Pacific Northwest old growth forest. Global Change Biology.15:2187-2205, doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2486.2009.01952.x.

Chasmer, L., C. Hopkinson, A. Barr, A. Black, H. McCaughey, and P. Treitz, 2009. Scaling and assessment of GPP from MODIS using a combination of airborne lidar and eddy covariance measurements over jack pine forests. Remote Sensing of Environment, 113:82-93.

Hopkinson, C. and L. Chasmer, 2009. Testing LiDAR models of canopy fractional cover across multiple forest ecozones. Remote Sensing of Environment, 113:275-288.

Kljun, N., L. Chasmer, A. Barr, A. Black, C. Hopkinson, H. McCaughey, M.W. Rotach, and H.P. Schmid, 2009. Footprint application to long-term CO2 flux observations. NCAS Special Issue In Memory of Tony Slingo.

Chasmer, L., N. Kljun, A. Barr, A. Black, C. Hopkinson, H. McCaughey, and P. Treitz, 2008. Vegetation structural and elevation influences on CO2 uptake within a mature jack pine forest in Saskatchewan, Canada. Canadian Journal of Forest Research. 38:2746-2761.

Chasmer, L., C. Hopkinson, P. Treitz, H. McCaughey, A. Barr, and A. Black, 2008. A lidar-based hierarchical approach to assessing MODIS fPAR Remote Sensing of Environment. 112:4344-4357.

Chasmer, L., A. Barr, A. Black, H. McCaughey, A. Shashkov, and P. Treitz, 2008. Investigating light use efficiency (LUE) across a jack pine chronosequence during dry and wet years. Tree Physiology. 28:1395-1406.

Hopkinson, C., L. Chasmer, and R. Hall, 2008. The uncertainty in conifer plantation growth prediction from multi-temporal lidar datasets. Remote Sensing of Environment. 112(3):1168-1180.

Chasmer, L., and V. Thomas, 2008. Integrating airborne lidar with eddy covariance and beyond: New research within the Canadian Carbon Program.  Fluxletter, 1(2):9-13.
Hopkinson, C. and L. Chasmer, 2007. Using discrete laser pulse return intensity to model canopy gap fraction. Finnish Journal of Photogrammetry. 20(2):16-26.

Chasmer, L., A. Barr, A. Black, C. Hopkinson, N. Kljun, H, McCaughey, and P. Treitz, 2007. Using airborne lidar for the assessment of canopy structure influences on CO2 fluxes. ISPRS Laser Scanning 2007 and Silvilaser. September 12 – 14. Espoo, Finland.

Hopkinson, C., and L. Chasmer, 2007. Modelling canopy gap fraction from lidar intensity. ISPRS Laser Scanning 2007 and Silvilaser. September 12 – 14. Espoo, Finland.

Chasmer, L., C. Hopkinson, B. Smith, and P. Treitz, 2006. Examining the influence of changing laser pulse repetition frequencies on conifer forest canopy returns. Photogrammetric Engineering and Remote Sensing. 17(12):1359-1367.

Chasmer, L., C. Hopkinson, and P. Treitz, 2006. Investigating laser pulse penetration of a conifer canopy through the integration of airborne and terrestrial lidar. Canadian Journal of Remote Sensing. 32(2):116-125.

Hopkinson, C., L. Chasmer, K. Lim, P. Treitz, and I. Creed, 2006. Towards a universal lidar canopy height indicator. Canadian Journal of Remote Sensing. 32(2):139-152.

Hopkinson, C., L. Chasmer, G. Sass, I. Creed, M. Sitar, W. Kalbfleisch, and P. Treitz  2005. Vegetation class dependent errors in lidar ground elevation and canopy height estimates in a boreal wetland environment. Canadian Journal of Remote Sensing. 31(2):191-206

Hopkinson, C., M. Sitar, L. Chasmer, and P. Treitz, 2004. Mapping snowpack depth beneath forest canopies using airborne LiDAR. Photogrammetric Engineering and Remote Sensing. 70(3):323-330.

Hopkinson, C., L. Chasmer, C. Young-Pow, and P. Treitz, 2004. Assessing forest metrics with a ground-based scanning LiDAR. Canadian Journal of Forest Research. 34:573-583.

Chasmer, L., C. Hopkinson, and P. Treitz, 2004: Assessing the three-dimensional frequency distribution of airborne and ground-based LiDAR data for red pine and mixed deciduous forest plots. Proceedings of the Laser Scanners for Forest and Landscape Assessment (ISPRS archived proceedings Vol XXXVI Part 8/W2 pgs 66-70). Freiburg, Germany. October 2 – 6.

Hopkinson, C., K. Lim, L. Chasmer, P. Treitz, I. Creed, and C. Gynan, 2004: Wetland grass to plantation forest - estimating vegetation height from the standard deviation of lidar frequency distributions. Proceedings of the Laser Scanners for Forest and Landscape Assessment (ISPRS archived proceedings Vol XXXVI Part 8/W2 pgs 288-294). Freiburg, Germany. October 2 – 6.

Hopkinson, C., L. Chasmer, G. Zsigovics, I. Creed, M. Sitar, P. Treitz, R. Maher, 2004: Errors in LiDAR ground elevation and wetland vegetation height estimates. Proceedings of the Laser Scanners for Forest and Landscape Assessment (ISPRS archived proceedings Vol XXXVI Part 8/W2 pgs 108-113). Freiburg, Germany. October 2 - 6.

Chasmer, L., and C. Hopkinson, 2001: Using airborne laser altimetry and GIS to assess scale induced radiation loading errors in a glacierised basin. Eastern Snow Conference Proceedings. Ottawa, Ontario. May 17-18.