Articles | Volume 23, issue 20
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-23-7289-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-23-7289-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Detecting long-term canopy change and vegetation shifts in northern peatlands using LAI and climate data
Iuliia Burdun
School of Engineering, Aalto University, Espoo, Finland
Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, KU Leuven, Heverlee, Belgium
Jiabin Pu
Department of Earth and Environment, Boston University, Boston, MA, United States of America
Ranga B. Myneni
Department of Earth and Environment, Boston University, Boston, MA, United States of America
Miina Rautiainen
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
School of Engineering, Aalto University, Espoo, Finland
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Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 16, 5069–5087, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-5069-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-5069-2024, 2024
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Radiative transfer models play a key role in monitoring vegetation using remote sensing data such as satellite or airborne images. The development of these models has been hindered by a lack of comprehensive ground reference data on structural and spectral characteristics of forests. Here, we reported datasets on the structural and spectral properties of temperate, hemiboreal, and boreal European forest stands. We anticipate that these data will have wide use in remote sensing applications.
Kai Yan, Jingrui Wang, Rui Peng, Kai Yang, Xiuzhi Chen, Gaofei Yin, Jinwei Dong, Marie Weiss, Jiabin Pu, and Ranga B. Myneni
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 16, 1601–1622, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-1601-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-1601-2024, 2024
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Variations in observational conditions have led to poor spatiotemporal consistency in leaf area index (LAI) time series. Using prior knowledge, we leveraged high-quality observations and spatiotemporal correlation to reprocess MODIS LAI, thereby generating HiQ-LAI, a product that exhibits fewer abnormal fluctuations in time series. Reprocessing was done on Google Earth Engine, providing users with convenient access to this value-added data and facilitating large-scale research and applications.
Lammert Kooistra, Katja Berger, Benjamin Brede, Lukas Valentin Graf, Helge Aasen, Jean-Louis Roujean, Miriam Machwitz, Martin Schlerf, Clement Atzberger, Egor Prikaziuk, Dessislava Ganeva, Enrico Tomelleri, Holly Croft, Pablo Reyes Muñoz, Virginia Garcia Millan, Roshanak Darvishzadeh, Gerbrand Koren, Ittai Herrmann, Offer Rozenstein, Santiago Belda, Miina Rautiainen, Stein Rune Karlsen, Cláudio Figueira Silva, Sofia Cerasoli, Jon Pierre, Emine Tanır Kayıkçı, Andrej Halabuk, Esra Tunc Gormus, Frank Fluit, Zhanzhang Cai, Marlena Kycko, Thomas Udelhoven, and Jochem Verrelst
Biogeosciences, 21, 473–511, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-473-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-473-2024, 2024
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We reviewed optical remote sensing time series (TS) studies for monitoring vegetation productivity across ecosystems. Methods were categorized into trend analysis, land surface phenology, and assimilation into statistical or dynamic vegetation models. Due to progress in machine learning, TS processing methods will diversify, while modelling strategies will advance towards holistic processing. We propose integrating methods into a digital twin to improve the understanding of vegetation dynamics.
Jiabin Pu, Kai Yan, Samapriya Roy, Zaichun Zhu, Miina Rautiainen, Yuri Knyazikhin, and Ranga B. Myneni
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 16, 15–34, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-15-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-15-2024, 2024
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Long-term global LAI/FPAR products provide the fundamental dataset for accessing vegetation dynamics and studying climate change. This study develops a sensor-independent LAI/FPAR climate data record based on the integration of Terra-MODIS/Aqua-MODIS/VIIRS LAI/FPAR standard products and applies advanced gap-filling techniques. The SI LAI/FPAR CDR provides a valuable resource for researchers studying vegetation dynamics and their relationship to climate change in the 21st century.
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Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 15, 4877–4899, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-4877-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-4877-2023, 2023
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The long-term global leaf area index (LAI) products are critical for characterizing vegetation dynamics under environmental changes. This study presents an updated GIMMS LAI product (GIMMS LAI4g; 1982−2020) based on PKU GIMMS NDVI and massive Landsat LAI samples. With higher accuracy than other LAI products, GIMMS LAI4g removes the effects of orbital drift and sensor degradation in AVHRR data. It has better temporal consistency before and after 2000 and a more reasonable global vegetation trend.
Muyi Li, Sen Cao, Zaichun Zhu, Zhe Wang, Ranga B. Myneni, and Shilong Piao
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 15, 4181–4203, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-4181-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-4181-2023, 2023
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Long-term global Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) products support the understanding of changes in vegetation under environmental changes. This study generates a consistent global NDVI product (PKU GIMMS NDVI) from 1982–2022 that eliminates the issue of orbital drift and sensor degradation in Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) data. More accurate than its predecessor (GIMMS NDVI3g), it shows high temporal consistency with MODIS NDVI in describing vegetation trends.
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Short summary
Peatlands store large amounts of carbon, but their vegetation is changing as northern regions warm. Using satellite data from 2001–2023, we examined how peatland canopies have become greener or browner across the North. While many areas showed local greening, overall change was uneven and influenced by moisture, vegetation type, and long-term climate cycles rather than a uniform increase in greenness.
Peatlands store large amounts of carbon, but their vegetation is changing as northern regions...
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