NWO Invests €3.2 Million in ASCENT for Ecosystem Monitoring

Vegetation is changing rapidly under the influence of climate change, land-use change and other environmental pressures. Satellite observations provide valuable information about these changes across large areas and over longer periods of time. However, current methods are not yet robust and scalable enough to integrate different types of remote sensing observations and quantify changes in vegetation traits consistently across space and time. ASCENT will address this challenge by combining diverse Earth observation data with in-situ measurements. The project will also organise two hyperspectral flight campaigns. These campaigns will provide detailed airborne observations that help bridge the scale between field measurements and satellite data, supporting the production of reliable EBVs for monitoring vegetation change.

A central challenge in vegetation research is to understand what changes observed from space mean for ecosystem function on the ground. Without this link, it remains difficult to identify the drivers of vegetation change and to predict the consequences for biodiversity, climate regulation, water cycles and other ecosystem processes. The ASCENT consortium will develop methods to connect Earth observation-based changes in vegetation traits to ecosystem function. By doing so, the project aims to improve ecological models and strengthen the scientific basis for understanding how ecosystems respond to environmental change.

The project also focuses on turning scientific knowledge into usable information for practice via a digital twin powered by AI. Insights from Earth observation and ecological models are not always translated effectively into decisions by the people and organisations managing ecosystems. ASCENT will therefore work on making its results relevant for ecosystem management, policy and other practice-oriented domains. This will support better-informed decisions and interventions by those working with ecosystems on the ground.

Within the consortium, the University of Twente plays a major role. ITC will lead two core work packages and contribute to seven additional work packages. In addition to its scientific contribution, UT will be responsible for knowledge utilisation activities. Through this role, UT will help ensure that knowledge developed in ASCENT reaches researchers, stakeholders and end users. The project strengthens UT’s position in Earth observation, geospatial science and data-driven approaches to understanding vegetation change and ecosystem function.

Advancing hyperSpectral imaging for Cross-scale Ecosystem fuNctioning and vegeTation research (ASCENT) is funded through NWO’s programme for the use of space infrastructure for Earth observation and planetary research. The project focuses on vegetation research and biodiversity monitoring and the integration of satellite, airborne and in-situ data to quantify vegetation traits, produce Essential Biodiversity Variables, and better understand ecosystem function.

ITC–University of Twente will collaborate with Wageningen University & Research, Leiden University’s Institute of Environmental Sciences, Utrecht University’s Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), and SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research.