T. Matthew Robson

I head a research group in Canopy Spectral Ecology and Ecophysiology (CanSEE) at the University of Helsinki.  My principal focus is on changes in the spectrum of radiation penetrating forests canopies with latitude & its influence on the understorey. My expertise is on the biological effects of UV radiation and on understanding the effects of climate change on forests. 

Currently there is a revolution in canopy research made possible by technologies that allow remote sensing of forest canopies from the air (through drones, photos, and satellites) coupled with a new generation of radiation sensors to transmittance, reflectance, fluorescence and irradiance. Our research utilises these state-of-the-art tools in biophysics to assess the real-time penetration of sunlight through canopies and scale-up the assessment of canopy processes along a climatic and latitudinal gradient stretching from Spain to Lapland.