Trends in phenological parameters and relationship between land surface phenology and climate data in the Hyrcanian forests of Iran
Vegetation activity may be changed in response to climate variability by affecting seasonality and phenological events. Monitoring of land surface phenological changes play a key role in understanding feedback of ecosystem dynamics. This study focuses on the analysis of trends in land surface phenology derived parameters using normalized difference vegetation index time series based on Global Inventory Monitoring and Mapping Studies data in the Hyrcanian forests of Iran covering the period 1981–2012. First, we applied interpolation for data reconstruction in order to remove outliers and cloud contamination in time series. Phenological parameters were retrieved by using the midpoint approach…
Variability and Uncertainty Challenges in Scaling Imaging Spectroscopy Retrievals and Validations from Leaves Up to Vegetation Canopies
Imaging spectroscopy of vegetation requires methods for scaling and generalizing optical signals that are reflected, transmitted and emitted in the solar wavelength domain from single leaves and observed at the level of canopies by proximal sensing, airborne and satellite spectroradiometers. The upscaling embedded in imaging spectroscopy retrievals and validations of plant biochemical and structural traits is challenged by natural variability and measurement uncertainties. Sources of the leaf-to-canopy upscaling variability and uncertainties are reviewed with respect to: (1) implementation of retrieval algorithms and (2) their parameterization and validation of quantitative products through…
Fluorescence explorer (FLEX): An optimised payload to map vegetation photosynthesis from space
The FLuorescence EXplorer (FLEX) mission proposes to launch a satellite for the global monitoring of steady-state chlorophyll fluorescence in terrestrial vegetation. Fluorescence is a sensitive probe of photosynthetic function in both healthy and physiologically perturbed vegetation, and a powerful non-invasive tool to track the status, resilience, and recovery of photochemical processes and moreover provides important information on overall photosynthetic performance with implications for related carbon sequestration. The early responsiveness of fluorescence to atmospheric, soil and plant water balance, as well as to atmospheric chemistry and human intervention in land usage makes it an ob…
Spectrodirectional Minnaert-kretrieval using CHRIS-PROBA data
We report on a detailed analysis of hyperspectral and multidirectional remote sensing data acquired using the Compact High Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (CHRIS) mounted onboard the Project for On-Board Autonomy (PROBA) spacecraft. This instrument is capable of sampling reflected radiation over the visible and near-infrared (NIR) region of the solar spectrum at a spatial resolution (approx. 17 m) intermediary between sensors traditionally used in land applications (such as Landsat and Satellite Pour l’Observation de la Terre (SPOT), 30 m–50 m) and the latest instruments delivering a nominal resolution of 1 m or less. The spectral anisotropic signature of an Alpine coniferous forest during …