Articles | Volume 12, issue 14
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-4407-2015
© Author(s) 2015. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-4407-2015
© Author(s) 2015. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Research article
| 
29 Jul 2015
Research article |
| 29 Jul 2015
Does EO NDVI seasonal metrics capture variations in species composition and biomass due to grazing in semi-arid grassland savannas?
J. L. Olsen
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Center for Climate and Energy Economics, the Danish Energy Agency, Amaliegade 44, 1256 Copenhagen K, Denmark
S. Miehe
Faculty of Geography, Philipps-University, Biegestraße 10, 35032 Marburg, Germany
P. Ceccato
The International Research Institute, Columbia University, 61 Route 9W, Palisades, NY 10964, USA
R. Fensholt
Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, University of Copenhagen, Rolighedsvej 23, 1958 Frederiksberg C, Denmark
Related authors
No articles found.
Søren Julsgaard Kragh, Jacopo Dari, Sara Modanesi, Christian Massari, Luca Brocca, Rasmus Fensholt, Simon Stisen, and Julian Koch
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 28, 441–457, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-441-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-441-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
This study provides a comparison of methodologies to quantify irrigation to enhance regional irrigation estimates. To evaluate the methodologies, we compared various approaches to quantify irrigation using soil moisture, evapotranspiration, or both within a novel baseline framework, together with irrigation estimates from other studies. We show that the synergy from using two equally important components in a joint approach within a baseline framework yields better irrigation estimates.
Søren J. Kragh, Rasmus Fensholt, Simon Stisen, and Julian Koch
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 27, 2463–2478, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-2463-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-2463-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
This study investigates the precision of irrigation estimates from a global hotspot of unsustainable irrigation practice, the Indus and Ganges basins. We show that irrigation water use can be estimated with high precision by comparing satellite and rainfed hydrological model estimates of evapotranspiration. We believe that our work can support sustainable water resource management, as it addresses the uncertainty of a key component of the water balance that remains challenging to quantify.
Rena Meyer, Wenmin Zhang, Søren Julsgaard Kragh, Mie Andreasen, Karsten Høgh Jensen, Rasmus Fensholt, Simon Stisen, and Majken C. Looms
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 26, 3337–3357, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-3337-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-26-3337-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
The amount and spatio-temporal distribution of soil moisture, the water in the upper soil, is of great relevance for agriculture and water management. Here, we investigate whether the established downscaling algorithm combining different satellite products to estimate medium-scale soil moisture is applicable to higher resolutions and whether results can be improved by accounting for land cover types. Original satellite data and downscaled soil moisture are compared with ground observations.
M. C. A. Picoli, J. Radoux, X. Tong, A. Bey, P. Rufin, M. Brandt, R. Fensholt, and P. Meyfroidt
Int. Arch. Photogramm. Remote Sens. Spatial Inf. Sci., XLIII-B3-2022, 975–981, https://doi.org/10.5194/isprs-archives-XLIII-B3-2022-975-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/isprs-archives-XLIII-B3-2022-975-2022, 2022
Wim Verbruggen, Guy Schurgers, Stéphanie Horion, Jonas Ardö, Paulo N. Bernardino, Bernard Cappelaere, Jérôme Demarty, Rasmus Fensholt, Laurent Kergoat, Thomas Sibret, Torbern Tagesson, and Hans Verbeeck
Biogeosciences, 18, 77–93, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-77-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-77-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
A large part of Earth's land surface is covered by dryland ecosystems, which are subject to climate extremes that are projected to increase under future climate scenarios. By using a mathematical vegetation model, we studied the impact of single years of extreme rainfall on the vegetation in the Sahel. We found a contrasting response of grasses and trees to these extremes, strongly dependent on the way precipitation is spread over the rainy season, as well as a long-term impact on CO2 uptake.
Fabio Cian, Mattia Marconcini, Pietro Ceccato, and Carlo Giupponi
Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 18, 3063–3084, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-18-3063-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-18-3063-2018, 2018
Wenmin Zhang, Martin Brandt, Xiaoye Tong, Qingjiu Tian, and Rasmus Fensholt
Biogeosciences, 15, 319–330, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-319-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-319-2018, 2018
S. Salehi, M. Karami, and R. Fensholt
Int. Arch. Photogramm. Remote Sens. Spatial Inf. Sci., XLI-B7, 973–979, https://doi.org/10.5194/isprs-archives-XLI-B7-973-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/isprs-archives-XLI-B7-973-2016, 2016
Gregor Ratzmann, Ute Gangkofner, Britta Tietjen, and Rasmus Fensholt
Biogeosciences Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-2016-48, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-2016-48, 2016
Revised manuscript not accepted
Short summary
Short summary
Anticipating impacts of changes in rainfall regimes on dryland ecosystems requires the understanding of the functional response to rainfall of those water limited environments. Here we show for two arid/semi-arid African regions based on satellite data that higher rainfall variability leads to a more dynamic vegetation response to rainfall. This applies irrespective of vegetation type. It moreover indicates that regions experiencing a higher rainfall variability may be more resilient to drought.
T. Tagesson, R. Fensholt, S. Huber, S. Horion, I. Guiro, A. Ehammer, and J. Ardö
Biogeosciences, 12, 4621–4635, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-4621-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-4621-2015, 2015
Short summary
Short summary
Relationships between ecosystem properties of semi-arid savanna and reflected solar radiance between 35 and 1800nm were investigated. Normalised combinations of reflectance for the near infrared, shortwave infrared, and 600 to 700nm were strongly affected by solar and viewing angle effects. Ecosystem properties of savannas were strongly correlated with reflectance at 350-1800nm, and normalised combinations of reflectance were strong predictors of the savanna ecosystem properties.
R. Guzinski, H. Nieto, S. Stisen, and R. Fensholt
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 19, 2017–2036, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-19-2017-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-19-2017-2015, 2015
Short summary
Short summary
The study compared evapotranspiration (ET) modelled by two remote sensing models and one hydrological model in a river catchment in Denmark. The results show that the spatial patterns of ET produced by the remote sensing models are more similar to each other than to the fluxes produced by the hydrological model. This indicates potential benefits to the hydrological modelling community from integrating spatial information derived through remote sensing methodology into the hydrological models.
Related subject area
Biogeophysics: Ecohydrology
Reviews and syntheses: A scoping review evaluating the potential application of ecohydrological models for northern peatland restoration
Drought and radiation explain fluctuations in Amazon rainforest greenness during the 2015–2016 drought
Inclusion of bedrock vadose zone in dynamic global vegetation models is key for simulating vegetation structure and function
The dynamics of marsh-channel slump blocks: an observational study using repeated drone imagery
Understanding the effects of revegetated shrubs on fluxes of energy, water, and gross primary productivity in a desert steppe ecosystem using the STEMMUS–SCOPE model
Imaging of the electrical activity in the root zone under limited-water-availability stress: a laboratory study for Vitis vinifera
Coordination of rooting, xylem, and stomatal strategies explains the response of conifer forest stands to multi-year drought in the southern Sierra Nevada of California
Historical variation in the normalized difference vegetation index compared with soil moisture in a taiga forest ecosystem in northeastern Siberia
A process-based model for quantifying the effects of canal blocking on water table and CO2 emissions in tropical peatlands
Continuous ground monitoring of vegetation optical depth and water content with GPS signals
Technical note: Common ambiguities in plant hydraulics
Consistent responses of vegetation gas exchange to elevated atmospheric CO2 emerge from heuristic and optimization models
Pioneer biocrust communities prevent soil erosion in temperate forests after disturbances
Modelling temporal variability of in situ soil water and vegetation isotopes reveals ecohydrological couplings in a riparian willow plot
Toward estimation of seasonal water dynamics of winter wheat from ground-based L-band radiometry: a concept study
Spatially varying relevance of hydrometeorological hazards for vegetation productivity extremes
Temporal dynamics of tree xylem water isotopes: in situ monitoring and modeling
Reviews and syntheses: Gaining insights into evapotranspiration partitioning with novel isotopic monitoring methods
What determines the sign of the evapotranspiration response to afforestation in European summer?
Predicting evapotranspiration from drone-based thermography – a method comparison in a tropical oil palm plantation
Patterns of plant rehydration and growth following pulses of soil moisture availability
Climatic traits on daily clearness and cloudiness indices
Estimates of tree root water uptake from soil moisture profile dynamics
Causes and consequences of pronounced variation in the isotope composition of plant xylem water
Risk of crop failure due to compound dry and hot extremes estimated with nested copulas
Canal blocking optimization in restoration of drained peatlands
Large-scale biospheric drought response intensifies linearly with drought duration in arid regions
Global biosphere–climate interaction: a causal appraisal of observations and models over multiple temporal scales
Examining the evidence for decoupling between photosynthesis and transpiration during heat extremes
Ideas and perspectives: Tracing terrestrial ecosystem water fluxes using hydrogen and oxygen stable isotopes – challenges and opportunities from an interdisciplinary perspective
Does predictability of fluxes vary between FLUXNET sites?
Community-specific hydraulic conductance potential of soil water decomposed for two Alpine grasslands by small-scale lysimetry
Ideas and perspectives: how coupled is the vegetation to the boundary layer?
Crop water stress maps for an entire growing season from visible and thermal UAV imagery
MODIS vegetation products as proxies of photosynthetic potential along a gradient of meteorologically and biologically driven ecosystem productivity
Proximate and ultimate controls on carbon and nutrient dynamics of small agricultural catchments
Transpiration in an oil palm landscape: effects of palm age
Assessing vegetation structure and ANPP dynamics in a grassland–shrubland Chihuahuan ecotone using NDVI–rainfall relationships
On the use of the post-closure methods uncertainty band to evaluate the performance of land surface models against eddy covariance flux data
Distribution and biophysical processes of beaded streams in Arctic permafrost landscapes
Continental-scale impacts of intra-seasonal rainfall variability on simulated ecosystem responses in Africa
Dew formation on the surface of biological soil crusts in central European sand ecosystems
Nonlinear controls on evapotranspiration in arctic coastal wetlands
Organic carbon efflux from a deciduous forest catchment in Korea
A simple ecohydrological model captures essentials of seasonal leaf dynamics in semi-arid tropical grasslands
Mariana P. Silva, Mark G. Healy, and Laurence Gill
Biogeosciences, 21, 3143–3163, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-3143-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-3143-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Peatland restoration combats climate change and protects ecosystem health in many northern regions. This review gathers data about models used on northern peatlands to further envision their application in the specific scenario of restoration. A total of 211 papers were included in the review: location trends for peatland modelling were catalogued, and key themes in model outputs were highlighted. Valuable context is provided for future efforts in modelling the peatland restoration process.
Yi Y. Liu, Albert I. J. M. van Dijk, Patrick Meir, and Tim R. McVicar
Biogeosciences, 21, 2273–2295, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-2273-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-2273-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Greenness of the Amazon forest fluctuated during the 2015–2016 drought, but no satisfactory explanation has been found. Based on water storage, temperature, and atmospheric moisture demand, we developed a method to delineate the regions where forests were under stress. These drought-affected regions were mainly identified at the beginning and end of the drought, resulting in below-average greenness. For the months in between, without stress, greenness responded positively to intense sunlight.
Dana A. Lapides, W. Jesse Hahm, Matthew Forrest, Daniella M. Rempe, Thomas Hickler, and David N. Dralle
Biogeosciences, 21, 1801–1826, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-1801-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-1801-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Water stored in weathered bedrock is rarely incorporated into vegetation and Earth system models despite increasing recognition of its importance. Here, we add a weathered bedrock component to a widely used vegetation model. Using a case study of two sites in California and model runs across the United States, we show that more accurately representing subsurface water storage and hydrology increases summer plant water use so that it better matches patterns in distributed data products.
Zhicheng Yang, Clark Alexander, and Merryl Alber
Biogeosciences, 21, 1757–1772, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-1757-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-1757-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We used repeat UAV imagery to study the spatial and temporal dynamics of slump blocks in a Georgia salt marsh. Although slump blocks are common in marshes, tracking them with the UAV provided novel insights. Blocks are highly dynamic, with new blocks appearing in each image while some are lost. Most blocks were lost by submergence, but we report for the first time their reconnection to the marsh platform. We also found that slump blocks can be an important contributor to creek widening.
Enting Tang, Yijian Zeng, Yunfei Wang, Zengjing Song, Danyang Yu, Hongyue Wu, Chenglong Qiao, Christiaan van der Tol, Lingtong Du, and Zhongbo Su
Biogeosciences, 21, 893–909, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-893-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-893-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Our study shows that planting shrubs in a semiarid grassland reduced the soil moisture and increased plant water uptake and transpiration. Notably, the water used by the ecosystem exceeded the rainfall received during the growing seasons, indicating an imbalance in the water cycle. The findings demonstrate the effectiveness of the STEMMUS–SCOPE model as a tool to represent ecohydrological processes and highlight the need to consider energy and water budgets for future revegetation projects.
Benjamin Mary, Veronika Iván, Franco Meggio, Luca Peruzzo, Guillaume Blanchy, Chunwei Chou, Benedetto Ruperti, Yuxin Wu, and Giorgio Cassiani
Biogeosciences, 20, 4625–4650, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-4625-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-4625-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The study explores the partial root zone drying method, an irrigation strategy aimed at improving water use efficiency. We imaged the root–soil interaction using non-destructive techniques consisting of soil and plant current stimulation. The study found that imaging the processes in time was effective in identifying spatial patterns associated with irrigation and root water uptake. The results will be useful for developing more efficient root detection methods in natural soil conditions.
Junyan Ding, Polly Buotte, Roger Bales, Bradley Christoffersen, Rosie A. Fisher, Michael Goulden, Ryan Knox, Lara Kueppers, Jacquelyn Shuman, Chonggang Xu, and Charles D. Koven
Biogeosciences, 20, 4491–4510, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-4491-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-4491-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We used a vegetation model to investigate how the different combinations of plant rooting depths and the sensitivity of leaves and stems to drying lead to differential responses of a pine forest to drought conditions in California, USA. We found that rooting depths are the strongest control in that ecosystem. Deep roots allow trees to fully utilize the soil water during a normal year but result in prolonged depletion of soil moisture during a severe drought and hence a high tree mortality risk.
Aleksandr Nogovitcyn, Ruslan Shakhmatov, Tomoki Morozumi, Shunsuke Tei, Yumiko Miyamoto, Nagai Shin, Trofim C. Maximov, and Atsuko Sugimoto
Biogeosciences, 20, 3185–3201, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-3185-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-3185-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The taiga ecosystem in northeastern Siberia changed during the extreme wet event in 2007. Before the wet event, the NDVI in a typical larch forest showed a positive correlation with soil moisture, and after the event it showed a negative correlation. For both periods, NDVI correlated negatively with foliar C/N. These results indicate that high soil moisture availability after the event decreased needle production, which may have resulted from lower N availability.
Iñaki Urzainki, Marjo Palviainen, Hannu Hökkä, Sebastian Persch, Jeffrey Chatellier, Ophelia Wang, Prasetya Mahardhitama, Rizaldy Yudhista, and Annamari Laurén
Biogeosciences, 20, 2099–2116, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-2099-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-2099-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Drained peatlands (peat areas where ditches have been excavated to enhance crop productivity) are one of the main sources of carbon dioxide emissions globally. Blocking the ditches by building dams is a common strategy to raise the water table and to mitigate carbon dioxide emissions. But how effective is ditch blocking in raising the overall water table over a large area? Our work tackles this question by making use of the available data and physics-based hydrological modeling.
Vincent Humphrey and Christian Frankenberg
Biogeosciences, 20, 1789–1811, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-1789-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-1789-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Microwave satellites can be used to monitor how vegetation biomass changes over time or how droughts affect the world's forests. However, such satellite data are still difficult to validate and interpret because of a lack of comparable field observations. Here, we present a remote sensing technique that uses the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) as a makeshift radar, making it possible to observe canopy transmissivity at any existing environmental research site in a cost-efficient way.
Yujie Wang and Christian Frankenberg
Biogeosciences, 19, 4705–4714, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-4705-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-4705-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Plant hydraulics is often misrepresented in topical research. We highlight the commonly seen ambiguities and/or mistakes, with equations and figures to help visualize the potential biases. We recommend careful thinking when using or modifying existing plant hydraulic terms, methods, and models.
Stefano Manzoni, Simone Fatichi, Xue Feng, Gabriel G. Katul, Danielle Way, and Giulia Vico
Biogeosciences, 19, 4387–4414, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-4387-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-4387-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) causes leaves to close their stomata (through which water evaporates) but also promotes leaf growth. Even if individual leaves save water, how much will be consumed by a whole plant with possibly more leaves? Using different mathematical models, we show that plant stands that are not very dense and can grow more leaves will benefit from higher CO2 by photosynthesizing more while adjusting their stomata to consume similar amounts of water.
Corinna Gall, Martin Nebel, Dietmar Quandt, Thomas Scholten, and Steffen Seitz
Biogeosciences, 19, 3225–3245, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-3225-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-3225-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Soil erosion is one of the most serious environmental challenges of our time, which also applies to forests when forest soil is disturbed. Biological soil crusts (biocrusts) can play a key role as erosion control. In this study, we combined soil erosion measurements with vegetation surveys in disturbed forest areas. We found that soil erosion was reduced primarily by pioneer bryophyte-dominated biocrusts and that bryophytes contributed more to soil erosion mitigation than vascular plants.
Aaron Smith, Doerthe Tetzlaff, Jessica Landgraf, Maren Dubbert, and Chris Soulsby
Biogeosciences, 19, 2465–2485, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-2465-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-2465-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
This research utilizes high-spatiotemporal-resolution soil and vegetation measurements, including water stable isotopes, within an ecohydrological model to partition water flux dynamics and identify flow paths and durations. Results showed high vegetation water use and high spatiotemporal dynamics of vegetation water source and vegetation isotopes. The evaluation of these dynamics further revealed relatively fast flow paths through both shallow soil and vegetation.
Thomas Jagdhuber, François Jonard, Anke Fluhrer, David Chaparro, Martin J. Baur, Thomas Meyer, and María Piles
Biogeosciences, 19, 2273–2294, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-2273-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-2273-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
This is a concept study of water dynamics across winter wheat starting from ground-based L-band radiometry in combination with on-site measurements of soil and atmosphere. We research the feasibility of estimating water potentials and seasonal flux rates of water (water uptake from soil and transpiration rates into the atmosphere) within the soil-plant-atmosphere system (SPAS) of a winter wheat field. The main finding is that L-band radiometry can be integrated into field-based SPAS assessment.
Josephin Kroll, Jasper M. C. Denissen, Mirco Migliavacca, Wantong Li, Anke Hildebrandt, and Rene Orth
Biogeosciences, 19, 477–489, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-477-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-477-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Plant growth relies on having access to energy (solar radiation) and water (soil moisture). This energy and water availability is impacted by weather extremes, like heat waves and droughts, which will occur more frequently in response to climate change. In this context, we analysed global satellite data to detect in which regions extreme plant growth is controlled by energy or water. We find that extreme plant growth is associated with temperature- or soil-moisture-related extremes.
Stefan Seeger and Markus Weiler
Biogeosciences, 18, 4603–4627, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-4603-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-4603-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We developed a setup for fully automated in situ measurements of stable water isotopes in soil and the stems of fully grown trees. We used this setup in a 12-week field campaign to monitor the propagation of a labelling pulse from the soil up to a stem height of 8 m.
We could observe trees shifting their main water uptake depths multiple times, depending on water availability.
The gained knowledge about the temporal dynamics can help to improve water uptake models and future study designs.
Youri Rothfuss, Maria Quade, Nicolas Brüggemann, Alexander Graf, Harry Vereecken, and Maren Dubbert
Biogeosciences, 18, 3701–3732, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-3701-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-3701-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
The partitioning of evapotranspiration into evaporation from soil and transpiration from plants is crucial for a wide range of parties, from farmers to policymakers. In this work, we focus on a particular partitioning method, based on the stable isotopic analysis of water. In particular, we aim at highlighting the challenges that this method is currently facing and, in light of recent methodological developments, propose ways forward for the isotopic-partitioning community.
Marcus Breil, Edouard L. Davin, and Diana Rechid
Biogeosciences, 18, 1499–1510, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-1499-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-1499-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
The physical processes behind varying evapotranspiration rates in forests and grasslands in Europe are investigated in a regional model study with idealized afforestation scenarios. The results show that the evapotranspiration response to afforestation depends on the interplay of two counteracting factors: the transpiration facilitating characteristics of a forest and the reduced saturation deficits of forests caused by an increased surface roughness and associated lower surface temperatures.
Florian Ellsäßer, Christian Stiegler, Alexander Röll, Tania June, Hendrayanto, Alexander Knohl, and Dirk Hölscher
Biogeosciences, 18, 861–872, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-861-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-861-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Recording land surface temperatures using drones offers new options to predict evapotranspiration based on energy balance models. This study compares predictions from three energy balance models with the eddy covariance method. A model II Deming regression indicates interchangeability for latent heat flux estimates from certain modeling methods and eddy covariance measurements. This complements the available methods for evapotranspiration studies by fine grain and spatially explicit assessments.
Andrew F. Feldman, Daniel J. Short Gianotti, Alexandra G. Konings, Pierre Gentine, and Dara Entekhabi
Biogeosciences, 18, 831–847, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-831-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-831-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We quantify global plant water uptake durations after rainfall using satellite-based plant water content measurements. In wetter regions, plant water uptake occurs within a day due to rapid coupling between soil and plant water content. Drylands show multi-day plant water uptake after rain pulses, providing widespread evidence for slow rehydration responses and pulse-driven growth responses. Our results suggest that drylands are sensitive to projected shifts in rainfall intensity and frequency.
Estefanía Muñoz and Andrés Ochoa
Biogeosciences, 18, 573–584, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-573-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-573-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We inspect for climatic traits in the shape of the PDF of the clear-day (c) and the clearness (k) indices at 37 FLUXNET sites for the SW and the PAR spectral bands. We identified three types of PDF, unimodal with low dispersion, unimodal with high dispersion and bimodal, with no difference in the PDF type between c and k at each site. We found that latitude, global climate zone and Köppen climate type have a weak relation and the Holdridge life zone a stronger relation with c and k PDF types.
Conrad Jackisch, Samuel Knoblauch, Theresa Blume, Erwin Zehe, and Sibylle K. Hassler
Biogeosciences, 17, 5787–5808, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-5787-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-5787-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
We developed software to calculate the root water uptake (RWU) of beech tree roots from soil moisture dynamics. We present our approach and compare RWU to measured sap flow in the tree stem. The study relates to two sites that are similar in topography and weather but with contrasting soils. While sap flow is very similar between the two sites, the RWU is different. This suggests that soil characteristics have substantial influence. Our easy-to-implement RWU estimate may help further studies.
Hannes P. T. De Deurwaerder, Marco D. Visser, Matteo Detto, Pascal Boeckx, Félicien Meunier, Kathrin Kuehnhammer, Ruth-Kristina Magh, John D. Marshall, Lixin Wang, Liangju Zhao, and Hans Verbeeck
Biogeosciences, 17, 4853–4870, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-4853-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-4853-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
The depths at which plants take up water is challenging to observe directly. To do so, scientists have relied on measuring the isotopic composition of xylem water as this provides information on the water’s source. Our work shows that this isotopic composition changes throughout the day, which complicates the interpretation of the water’s source and has been currently overlooked. We build a model to help understand the origin of these composition changes and their consequences for science.
Andreia Filipa Silva Ribeiro, Ana Russo, Célia Marina Gouveia, Patrícia Páscoa, and Jakob Zscheischler
Biogeosciences, 17, 4815–4830, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-4815-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-4815-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
This study investigates the impacts of compound dry and hot extremes on crop yields, namely wheat and barley, over two regions in Spain dominated by rainfed agriculture. We provide estimates of the conditional probability of crop loss under compound dry and hot conditions, which could be an important tool for responsible authorities to mitigate the impacts magnified by the interactions between the different hazards.
Iñaki Urzainki, Ari Laurén, Marjo Palviainen, Kersti Haahti, Arif Budiman, Imam Basuki, Michael Netzer, and Hannu Hökkä
Biogeosciences, 17, 4769–4784, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-4769-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-4769-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Drained peatlands (peat areas where ditches have been excavated to enhance plant production) are one of the main sources of carbon dioxide emissions globally. Blocking these ditches by building dams is a common strategy to restore the self-sustaining peat ecosystem and mitigate carbon dioxide emissions. Where should these dams be located in order to maximize the benefits? Our work tackles this question by making use of the available data, hydrological modeling and numerical optimization methods.
René Orth, Georgia Destouni, Martin Jung, and Markus Reichstein
Biogeosciences, 17, 2647–2656, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-2647-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-2647-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Drought duration is a key control of the large-scale biospheric drought response.
Thereby, the vegetation responds linearly to drought duration at large spatial scales.
The slope of the linear relationship between the vegetation drought response and drought duration is steeper in drier climates.
Jeroen Claessen, Annalisa Molini, Brecht Martens, Matteo Detto, Matthias Demuzere, and Diego G. Miralles
Biogeosciences, 16, 4851–4874, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-4851-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-4851-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
Bidirectional interactions between vegetation and climate are unraveled over short (monthly) and long (inter-annual) temporal scales. Analyses use a novel causal inference method based on wavelet theory. The performance of climate models at representing these interactions is benchmarked against satellite data. Climate models can reproduce the overall climate controls on vegetation at all temporal scales, while their performance at representing biophysical feedbacks on climate is less adequate.
Martin G. De Kauwe, Belinda E. Medlyn, Andrew J. Pitman, John E. Drake, Anna Ukkola, Anne Griebel, Elise Pendall, Suzanne Prober, and Michael Roderick
Biogeosciences, 16, 903–916, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-903-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-903-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
Recent experimental evidence suggests that during heat extremes, trees may reduce photosynthesis to near zero but increase transpiration. Using eddy covariance data and examining the 3 days leading up to a temperature extreme, we found evidence of reduced photosynthesis and sustained or increased latent heat fluxes at Australian wooded flux sites. However, when focusing on heatwaves, we were unable to disentangle photosynthetic decoupling from the effect of increasing vapour pressure deficit.
Daniele Penna, Luisa Hopp, Francesca Scandellari, Scott T. Allen, Paolo Benettin, Matthias Beyer, Josie Geris, Julian Klaus, John D. Marshall, Luitgard Schwendenmann, Till H. M. Volkmann, Jana von Freyberg, Anam Amin, Natalie Ceperley, Michael Engel, Jay Frentress, Yamuna Giambastiani, Jeff J. McDonnell, Giulia Zuecco, Pilar Llorens, Rolf T. W. Siegwolf, Todd E. Dawson, and James W. Kirchner
Biogeosciences, 15, 6399–6415, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-6399-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-6399-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
Understanding how water flows through ecosystems is needed to provide society and policymakers with the scientific background to manage water resources sustainably. Stable isotopes of hydrogen and oxygen in water are a powerful tool for tracking water fluxes, although the heterogeneity of natural systems and practical methodological issues still limit their full application. Here, we examine the challenges in this research field and highlight new perspectives based on interdisciplinary research.
Ned Haughton, Gab Abramowitz, Martin G. De Kauwe, and Andy J. Pitman
Biogeosciences, 15, 4495–4513, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-4495-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-4495-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
This project explores predictability in energy, water, and carbon fluxes in the free-use Tier 1 of the FLUXNET 2015 dataset using a uniqueness metric based on comparison of locally and globally trained models. While there is broad spread in predictability between sites, we found strikingly few strong patterns. Nevertheless, these results can contribute to the standardisation of site selection for land surface model evaluation and help pinpoint regions that are ripe for further FLUXNET research.
Georg Frenck, Georg Leitinger, Nikolaus Obojes, Magdalena Hofmann, Christian Newesely, Mario Deutschmann, Ulrike Tappeiner, and Erich Tasser
Biogeosciences, 15, 1065–1078, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-1065-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-1065-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
For central Europe in addition to rising temperatures, an increasing variability in precipitation is predicted. In a replicated mesocosm experiment we compared evapotranspiration and the biomass productivity of two differently drought-adapted vegetation communities during two irrigation regimes (with and without drought periods). Significant differences between the different communities were found in the response to variations in the water supply and biomass production.
Martin G. De Kauwe, Belinda E. Medlyn, Jürgen Knauer, and Christopher A. Williams
Biogeosciences, 14, 4435–4453, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-4435-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-4435-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
Understanding the sensitivity of transpiration to stomatal conductance is critical to simulating the water cycle. This sensitivity is a function of the degree of coupling between the vegetation and the atmosphere. We combined an extensive literature summary with estimates of coupling derived from FLUXNET data. We found notable departures from the values previously reported. These data form a model benchmarking metric to test existing coupling assumptions.
Helene Hoffmann, Rasmus Jensen, Anton Thomsen, Hector Nieto, Jesper Rasmussen, and Thomas Friborg
Biogeosciences, 13, 6545–6563, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-13-6545-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-13-6545-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
This study investigates whether the UAV (drone) based WDI can determine crop water stress from fields with open canopies (land surface consisting of both soil and canopy) and from fields where canopies are starting to senesce. This utility could solve issues that arise when applying the commonly used CWSI stress index. The WDI succeeded in providing accurate, high-resolution estimates of crop water stress at different growth stages of barley.
Natalia Restrepo-Coupe, Alfredo Huete, Kevin Davies, James Cleverly, Jason Beringer, Derek Eamus, Eva van Gorsel, Lindsay B. Hutley, and Wayne S. Meyer
Biogeosciences, 13, 5587–5608, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-13-5587-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-13-5587-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
We re-evaluated the connection between satellite greenness products and C-flux tower data in four Australian ecosystems. We identify key mechanisms driving the carbon cycle, and provide an ecological basis for the interpretation of vegetation indices. We found relationships between productivity and greenness to be non-significant in meteorologically driven evergreen forests and sites where climate and vegetation phenology were asynchronous, and highly correlated in phenology-driven ecosystems.
Zahra Thomas, Benjamin W. Abbott, Olivier Troccaz, Jacques Baudry, and Gilles Pinay
Biogeosciences, 13, 1863–1875, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-13-1863-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-13-1863-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
Direct human impact on a catchment (fertilizer input, soil disturbance, urbanization) is asymmetrically linked with inherent catchment properties (geology, soil, topography), which together determine catchment vulnerability to human activity. To quantify the influence of physical, hydrologic, and anthropogenic controls on surface water quality, we used a 5-year high-frequency water chemistry data set from three contrasting headwater catchments in western France.
A. Röll, F. Niu, A. Meijide, A. Hardanto, Hendrayanto, A. Knohl, and D. Hölscher
Biogeosciences, 12, 5619–5633, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-5619-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-5619-2015, 2015
Short summary
Short summary
The study provides first insight into eco-hydrological consequences of the continuing oil palm expansion in the tropics. Stand transpiration rates of some studied oil palm stands compared to or even exceeded values reported for tropical forests, indicating high water use of oil palms under certain conditions. Oil palm landscapes show some spatial variations in (evapo)transpiration rates, e.g. due to varying plantation age, but the day-to-day variability of oil palm transpiration is rather low.
M. Moreno-de las Heras, R. Díaz-Sierra, L. Turnbull, and J. Wainwright
Biogeosciences, 12, 2907–2925, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-2907-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-2907-2015, 2015
Short summary
Short summary
Exploration of NDVI-rainfall relationships provided ready biophysically based criteria to study the spatial distribution and dynamics of ANPP for herbaceous and shrub vegetation across a grassland-shrubland Chihuahuan ecotone (Sevilleta NWR, New Mexico). Overall our results suggest that shrub encroachment has not been particularly active for 2000-2013 in the area, although future reductions in summer precipitation and/or increases in winter rainfall may intensify the shrub-encroachment process.
J. Ingwersen, K. Imukova, P. Högy, and T. Streck
Biogeosciences, 12, 2311–2326, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-2311-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-2311-2015, 2015
Short summary
Short summary
The energy balance of eddy covariance (EC) flux data is normally not closed. Therefore, EC flux data are usually post-closed, i.e. the measured turbulent fluxes are adjusted so as to close the energy balance. We propose to use in model evaluation the post-closure method uncertainty band (PUB) to account for the uncertainty in EC data originating from lacking energy balance closure. Working with only a single post-closing method might result in severe misinterpretations in model-data comparison.
C. D. Arp, M. S. Whitman, B. M. Jones, G. Grosse, B. V. Gaglioti, and K. C. Heim
Biogeosciences, 12, 29–47, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-29-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-29-2015, 2015
Short summary
Short summary
Beaded streams have deep elliptical pools connected by narrow runs that we show are common landforms in the continuous permafrost zone. These fluvial systems often initiate from lakes and occur predictably in headwater portions of moderately sloping watersheds. Snow capture along stream courses reduces ice thickness allowing thawed sediment to persist under most pools. Interpool thermal variability and hydrologic regimes provide important aquatic habitat and connectivity in Arctic landscapes.
K. Guan, S. P. Good, K. K. Caylor, H. Sato, E. F. Wood, and H. Li
Biogeosciences, 11, 6939–6954, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-11-6939-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-11-6939-2014, 2014
Short summary
Short summary
Climate change is expected to modify the way that rainfall arrives, namely the frequency and intensity of rainfall events and rainy season length. Yet, the quantification of the impact of these possible rainfall changes across large biomes is lacking. Our study fills this gap by developing a new modeling framework, applying it to continental Africa. We show that African ecosystems are highly sensitive to these rainfall variabilities, with esp. large sensitivity to changes in rainy season length.
T. Fischer, M. Veste, O. Bens, and R. F. Hüttl
Biogeosciences, 9, 4621–4628, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-9-4621-2012, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-9-4621-2012, 2012
A. K. Liljedahl, L. D. Hinzman, Y. Harazono, D. Zona, C. E. Tweedie, R. D. Hollister, R. Engstrom, and W. C. Oechel
Biogeosciences, 8, 3375–3389, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-8-3375-2011, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-8-3375-2011, 2011
S. J. Kim, J. Kim, and K. Kim
Biogeosciences, 7, 1323–1334, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-7-1323-2010, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-7-1323-2010, 2010
P. Choler, W. Sea, P. Briggs, M. Raupach, and R. Leuning
Biogeosciences, 7, 907–920, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-7-907-2010, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-7-907-2010, 2010
Cited articles
Anyamba, A. and Tucker, C. J.: Analysis of Sahelian vegetation dynamics using NOAA-AVHRR NDVI data from 1981–2003, J. Arid Environ., 63, 596–614, 2005.
Anyamba, A., Tucker, C. J., Huete, A. R., and Boken, K.: Monitoring Drought Using Coarse-Resolution Polar-Orbiting Satellite Data, in: Monitoring and Predicting Agricultural Drought: A Global Study, edited by: Boken, K., Cracknell, A., and Heathcote, R. L., New York, Oxford Univerisity Press, Oxford University Press, part 5, 7–78, 2005.
Asner, G., Elmore, A. J., Olander, L., Martin, R. E., and Harris, A. T.: Grazing systems, ecosystem responses, and global change, Ann. Rev. Environ. Resour., 29, 261–299, 2004.
Begue, A., Vintrou, E., Ruelland, D., Claden, M., and Dessay, N.: Can a 25-year trend in Soudano-Sahelian vegetation dynamics be interpreted in terms of land use change?, A remote sensing approach, Glob. Environ. Change-Human Pol. Dimen., 21, 413–420, 2011.
Breman, H. and Cisse, A. M.: Dynamics of Sahelian Pastures in Relation to Drought and Grazing, Oecologia, 28, 301–315, 1977.
Camberlin, P., Martiny, N., Philippon, N., and Richard, Y.: Determinants of the interannual relationships between remote sensed photosynthetic activity and rainfall in tropical Africa, Remote Sens. Environ., 106, 199–216, 2007,
Daget, P. and Poisonnet, J.: Une méthode d'analyse phytologique des praires – Critères d'application, Ann. Agronom., 22, 5–41, 1971.
Dardel, C., Kergoat, L., Hiernaux, , Mougin, E., Grippa, M., and Tucker, C. J.: Re-greening Sahel: 30 years of remote sensing data and field observations (Mali, Niger), Remote Sens. Environ., 140, 350–364, 2014.
de Jong, R., de Bruin, S., de Wit, A., Schaepman, M. E., and Dent, D. L.: Analysis of monotonic greening and browning trends from global NDVI time-series, Remote Sens. Environ., 115, 692–702, 2011.
Eagleson, S.: Ecological Optimality in Water-Limited Natural Soil-Vegetation Systems, 1. Theory and Hypothesis, Water Resour. Res., 18, 325–340, 1982.
Eklundh, L. and Olsson, L.: Vegetation index trends for the African Sahel 1982–1999, Geophys. Res. Lett., 30, 13-1–13-4, 2003.
Elberse, W. T. and Breman, H.: Germination and Establishment of Sahelian Rangeland Species, 1. Seed Properties, Oecologia, 80, 477–484, 1989.
Elberse, W. T. and Breman, H.: Germination and Establishment of Sahelian rangeland species, II. Effects of water availability, Oecologia, 85, 32–40, 1990.
FAO: Harmonized World Soil Database (version 1.1), 2009.
FAO IUSS Working Group WRB: World reference base for soil resources 2006, A framework for international classification, correlation and communication, in: Rome, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, edited by: Michéli, E., Schad, P., and Spaargaren, O., FAO, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00100 Rome, Italy, 1–127, 2006.
Fensholt, R. and Proud, S. R.: Evaluation of Earth Observation based global long term vegetation trends – Comparing GIMMS and MODIS global NDVI time series, Remote Sens. Environ., 119, 131–147, 2012.
Fensholt, R. and Rasmussen, K.: Analysis of trends in the Sahelian 'rain-use efficiency' using GIMMS NDVI, RFE and GPCP rainfall data, Remote Sens. Environ., 115, 438–451, 2011.
Fensholt, R., Sandholt, I., Rasmussen, M. S., Stisen, S., and Diouf, A.: Evaluation of satellite based primary production modelling in the semi-arid Sahel, Remote Sens. Environ., 105, 173–188, 2006.
Fensholt, R., Rasmussen, K., Nielsen, T. T., and Mbow, C.: Evaluation of earth observation based long term vegetation trends – Intercomparing NDVI time series trend analysis consistency of Sahel from AVHRR GIMMS, Terra MODIS and SPOT VGT data, Remote Sens. Environ., 113, 1886–1898, 2009.
Fensholt, R., Rasmussen, K., Kaspersen, P., Huber, S., Horion, S., and Swinnen, E.: Assessing Land Degradation/Recovery in the African Sahel from Long-Term Earth Observation Based Primary Productivity and Precipitation Relationships, Remote Sens., 5, 664–686, 2013.
Fuller, D. O.: Trends in NDVI time series and their relation to rangeland and crop production in Senegal, 1987–1993, Int. J. Remote Sens., 19, 2013–2018, 1998.
Goetz, S. J., Prince, S. D., Goward, S. N., Thawley, M. M., and Small, J.: Satellite remote sensing of primary production: an improved production efficiency modeling approach, Ecol. Modell., 122, 239–255, 1999.
Herrmann, S. M. and Tappan, G. G.: Vegetation impoverishment despite greening: A case study from central Senegal, J. Arid Environ., 90, 55–66, 2013.
Herrmann, S. M., Anyamba, A., and Tucker, C. J.: Recent trends in vegetation dynamics in the African Sahel and their relationship to climate, Glob. Environ. Change-Human Pol. Dimen., 15, 394–404, 2005.
Heumann, B. W., Seaquist, J. W., Eklundh, L., and Jonsson, P.: AVHRR derived phenological change in the Sahel and Soudan, Africa, 1982–2005, Remote Sens. Environ., 108, 385–392, 2007.
Hiernaux, P.: Effects of grazing on plant species composition and spatial distribution in rangelands of the Sahel, Plant Ecol., 138, 191–202, 1998.
Hiernaux, P. and Turner, M. D.: The effect of clipping on growth and nutrient uptake of Sahelian annual rangelands, J. Appl. Ecol., 33, 387–399, 1996.
Hiernaux, P., Bielders, C. L., Valentin, C., Bationo, A., and Fernandez-Rivera, S.: Effects of livestock grazing on physical and chemical properties of sandy soils in Sahelian rangelands, J. Arid Environ., 41, 231–245, 1999.
Hiernaux, P., Mougin, E., Diarra, L., Soumaguel, N., Lavenu, F., Tracol, Y., and Diawara, M.: Sahelian rangeland response to changes in rainfall over two decades in the Gourma region, Mali, J. Hydrol., 375, 114–127, 2009.
Huber, S., Fensholt, R., and Rasmussen, K.: Water availability as the driver of vegetation dynamics in the African Sahel from 1982 to 2007, Glob. Planet Change, 76, 186–195, 2011.
Huete, A., Didan, K., Miura, T., Rodriguez, E., Gao, X., and Ferreira, L. G.: Overview of the radiometric and biophysical performance of the MODIS vegetation indices, Remote Sens. Environ., 83, 195–213, 2002.
Ickowicz, A., Ancey, , Corniaux, C., Duteurtre, G., Poccard-Cappuis, R., Touré, I., Vall, E., and Wane, A.: Crop-livestock production systems in the Sahel – increasing resilience for adaptation to climate change and preserving food security, in: Building resilience for adaptation to climate change in agriculture sector, edited by: Meybeck, A., Lankoski, J., Redfern, S., Azzu, N., and Gitz, V., Proc. Joint FAO-OECD workshop, Roma., FAO, 243–276, 2012.
Jonsson, P. and Eklundh, L.: TIMESAT – a program for analyzing time-series of satellite sensor data, Comput. Geosci., 30, 833–845, 2004.
Knapp, A. K., Fay, A., Blair, J. M., Collins, S. L., Smith, M. D., Carlisle, J. D., Harper, C. W., Danner, B. T., Lett, M. S., and McCarron, J. K.: Rainfall variability, carbon cycling, and plant species diversity in a mesic grassland, Science, 298, 2202–2205, 2002.
Martiny, N., Richard, Y., and Camberlin, P.: Interannual persistence effects in vegetation dynamics of semi-arid Africa, Geophys. Res. Lett., 32, 1–4, 2005.
Mbow, C., Fensholt, R., Rasmussen, K., and Diop, D.: Can vegetation productivity be derived from greenness in a semi-arid environment?, Evidence from ground based measurements, J. Arid Environ., 97, 55–65, 2013.
Miehe, S., Kluge, J., von Wehrden, H., and Retzer, V.: Long-term degradation of Sahelian rangeland detected by 27 years of field study in Senegal, J. Appl. Ecol., 47, 692–700, 2010.
Milich, L. and Weiss, E.: GAC NDVI interannual coefficient of variation (CoV) images: ground truth sampling of the Sahel along north-south transects, Internat. J. Remote Sens., 21, 235–260, 2000.
Nicholson, S. E., Davenport, M. L., and Malo, A. R.: A Comparison of the Vegetation Response to Rainfall in the Sahel and East-Africa, Using Normalized Difference Vegetation Index from Noaa Avhrr, Clim. Change, 17, 209–241, 1990.
Oba, G., Stenseth, N. C., and Lusigi, W. J.: New perspectives on substainable grazing management in arid zones of sub-Saharan Africa, Bioscience, 50, 35–51, 2000.
Olsson, L., Eklundh, L., and Ardo, J.: A recent greening of the Sahel – Trends, patterns and potential causes, J. Arid Environ., 63, 556–566, 2005.
Pedelty, J., Devadiga, S., Masuoka, E., Brown, M., Pinzon, J., Tucker, C., Roy, D., Ju, J., Vermote, E., Prince, S., Nagol, J., Justice, C., Schaaf, C., Liu, J., Privette, J., and Pinheiro, A.: Generating a Long-term Land Data Record from the AVHRR and MODIS Instruments, Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium, IGARSS 2007, 1021–1025, 2007.
Philippon, N., Jarlan, L., Martiny, N., Camberlin, P., and Mougin, E.: Characterization of the interannual and intraseasonal variability of West African vegetation between 1982 and 2002 by means of NOAA AVHRR NDVI data, J. Clim., 20, 1202–1218, 2007.
Philippon, N., Martiny, N., and Camberlin, P.: Forecasting the vegetation photosynthetic activity over the Sahel: a Model Output Statistics approach, Internat. J. Climatol., 29, 1463–1477, 2009.
Prince, S. D.: A Model of Regional Primary Production for Use with Coarse Resolution Satellite Data, Internat. J. Remote Sens., 12, 1313–1330, 1991a.
Prince, S. D.: Satellite Remote-Sensing of Primary Production - Comparison of Results for Sahelian Grasslands 1981–1988, Internat. J. Remote Sens., 12, 1301–1311, 1991b.
Prince, S. D. and Goward, S. N.: Global primary production: A remote sensing approach, J. Biogeography, 22, 815–835, 1995.
Prince, S. D. and Goward, S. N.: Evaluation of the NOAA/NASA Pathfinder AVHRR Land Data Set for global primary production modelling, Internat. J. Remote Sens., 17, 217–221, 1996.
Prince, S. D., Goetz, S. J., and Goward, S. N.: Monitoring Primary Production from Earth Observing Satellites, Water Air Soil Pollut., 82, 509–522, 1995.
Rasmussen, M. S.: Developing simple, operational, consistent NDVI-vegetation models by applying environmental and climatic information: Part I. Assessment of net primary production, Internat. J. Remote Sens., 19, 97–117, 1998.
Seaquist, J. W., Olsson, L., Ardo, J., and Eklundh, L.: Broad-scale increase in NPP quantified for the African Sahel, 1982–1999, Internat. J. Remote Sens., 27, 5115–5122, 2006.
Seaquist, J. W., Hickler, T., Eklundh, L., Ardö, J., and Heumann, B. W.: Disentangling the effects of climate and people on Sahel vegetation dynamics, Biogeosciences, 6, 469–477, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-6-469-2009, 2009.
Tucker, C. J.: Comparison of Satellite Sensor Bands for Vegetation Monitoring, Photogramm. Engin. Remote Sens., 44, 1369–1380, 1978.
Tucker, C. J.: Red and Photographic Infrared Linear Combinations for Monitoring Vegetation, Remote Sens. Environ., 8, 127–150, 1979.
Tucker, C. J., Vanpraet, C. L., Sharman, M. J., and Vanittersum, G.: Satellite Remote-Sensing of Total Herbaceous Biomass Production in the Senegalese Sahel – 1980–1984, Remote Sens. Environ., 17, 233–249, 1985.
Tucker, C. J., Justice, C. O., and Prince, S. D.: Monitoring the Grasslands of the Sahel 1984–1985, Internat. J. Remote Sens., 7, 1571–1581, 1986.
Tucker, C. J., Pinzon, J. E., Brown, M. E., Slayback, D. A., Pak, E. W., Mahoney, R., Vermote, E. F., and El Saleous, N.: An extended AVHRR 8-km NDVI dataset compatible with MODIS and SPOT vegetation NDVI data, Internat. J. Remote Sens., 26, 4485–4498, 2005.
Wessels, K. J., Prince, S. D., Zambatis, N., Macfadyen, S., Frost, E., and van Zyl, D.: Relationship between herbaceous biomass and 1-km(2) Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) NDVI in Kruger National Park, South Africa, Internat. J. Remote Sens., 27, 951–973, 2006.
Wessels, K. J., Prince, S. D., Malherbe, J., Small, J., Frost, E., and VanZyl, D.: Can human-induced land degradation be distinguished from the effects of rainfall variability?, A case study in South Africa, J. Arid Environ., 68, 271–297, 2007.
Wezel, A. and Schlecht, E.: Inter-annual variation of species composition of fallow vegetation in semi-arid Niger, J. Arid Environ., 56, 265–282, 2004.
Short summary
Limitations of satellite-based normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) for monitoring vegetation trends are investigated using observations from the Widou Thiengoly test site in northern Senegal. NDVI do not reflect the large differences found in biomass production and species composition between grazed and ungrazed plots. This is problematic for vegetation trend analysis in the context of drastically increasing numbers of Sahelian livestock in recent decades.
Limitations of satellite-based normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) for monitoring...
Altmetrics
Final-revised paper
Preprint