Monitoring elevation variations in leaf phenology of deciduous broadleaf forests from SPOT/VEGETATION time-series

International audience; In mountain forest ecosystems where elevation gradients are prominent, temperature gradient-based phonological variability can be high. However, there are few studies that assess the capability of remote sensing observations to monitor ecosystem phenology along elevation gradients, despite their relevance under climate change. We investigated the potential of medium resolution remotely sensed data to monitor the elevation variations in the seasonal dynamics of a temperate deciduous broadleaf forested ecosystem. Further, we explored the impact of elevation on the onset of spring leafing. This study was based on the analysis of multi-annual time-series of VEGETATION da…