Sponsors
Land Surface Phenology and Remote Sensing (LSP/RS)
of the invasive buffelgrass, Tucson, AZ. Photo by Benjie Sanders, Arizona Daily Star.
Land surface phenology (LSP) may be defined as the seasonal pattern of variation in vegetated land surfaces observed from remote sensing (Friedl, Henebry et al.). LSP dynamics reflect the response of vegetated surfaces of the earth to seasonal and annual changes in the climate and hydrologic cycle. It is distinguished from the monitoring of specific plant phenophases in-situ, such as flowering or budburst, due to the fact that LSP is based upon regional and global-scale observations of phenology, which can be directly compared to regional climate information. For this reason, LSP remote sensing data serve as key biological indicators for detecting the response of terrestrial ecosystems to climate variation.
The remote sensing (RS) component of the National Phenology Network is critical for providing a means of scaling from on-the-ground observations of phenology to the ecosystem level and, ultimately, to wall-to-wall estimates of phenology covering the entire country. If this scaling is successful, it also provides a means to go back in time, using satellite observations dating back to 1989 (at 1km ground resolution), thus providing a longer time-series of phenology measures from which to establish short- and medium-term trends.
Remote sensing for phenology
History and current trends in remote sensing of phenology
Linking land surface phenology (LSP) and remote sensing (RS)
The importance of collaborative networks for accurate phenological modeling
NPN strategy and activities for LSP/RS
Goals and potential products of the NPN LSP/RS program
LSP/RS information clearinghouse
A clearinghouse of information and links focused on land surface phenology, remote sensing products, and related material
USGS Remote Sensing Phenology homepage
This site contains basic information about generating phenological indicators from satellite data, some sections on vegetation indices and methodology and provides links to nine phenological metrics for a 19 year history for the conterminous U.S.