High-Resolution Airborne Lidar Now Available in Monterey Bay and at the Dangermond and Sedgwick Reserves
OpenTopography has released two new NCALM Seed grant datasets collected in California during summer 2025. Both are freely available for download as part of the June 2026 data releases.
Mapping Coastal Dune Erosion
This dataset was collected for Shannon Sondeno at California State University, Monterey Bay. Covering 41 km² in southern Monterey Bay, the lidar survey supports assessment of coastal dune erosion before and after the closure of sand mining operations.
Dataset Link: Mapping Coastal Dune Erosion, CA 2025.
Monitoring Tree Water Stress
This dataset was collected for Jean Allen at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Spanning 65 km² across the Dangermond Preserve and Sedgwick Reserve, the lidar data is being used to quantify Leaf Area Index and, when combined with hyperspectral imagery, to track changes in canopy architecture and oak mortality since 2018.
Dataset Link: Monitoring Tree Water Stress, CA 2025.
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