Authors
Trina Merrick, Ralf Bennartz, Maria Luisa SP Jorge, Carli Merrick, Stephanie A Bohlman, Carlos Alberto Silva, Stephanie Pau
Publication date
2023/10/25
Journal
Remote Sensing
Volume
15
Issue
21
Pages
5101
Publisher
MDPI
Description
A shifting phenology in deciduous broadleaf forests (DBFs) can indicate forest health, resilience, and changes in the face of a rapidly changing climate. The availability of satellite-based solar-induced fluorescence (SIF) from the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) promises to add to the understanding of the regional-level DBF phenology that has been developed, for instance, using proxies of gross primary productivity (GPP) from the Moderate Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). It is unclear how OCO-2 and MODIS metrics compare in terms of capturing intra-annual variations and benchmarking DBF seasonality, thus necessitating a comparison. In this study, spatiotemporally matched OCO-2 SIF metrics (at footprint level) and corresponding MODIS GPP, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), and enhanced vegetation index (EVI) products within a temperate DBF were used to compare the phenology captured by the productivity metrics. Additionally, an estimate of the SIF yield (SIFy), derived from OCO-2 SIF measurements, and a MODIS fraction of photosynthetically active radiation (fPAR) were tested. An examination of the trends and correlations showed relatively few qualitative differences among productivity metrics and environmental variables, but it highlighted a lack of seasonal signal in the calculation of SIFy. However, a seasonality analysis quantitatively showed similar seasonal timings and levels of seasonal production in and out of the growing season between SIF and GPP. In contrast, NDVI seasonality was least comparable to that of SIF and GPP, with senescence occurring approximately one month apart. Taken …