EROS Phenocam

A screenshot of the phenocam at the U.S. Geological Survey Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center near Sioux Falls, SD. EROS established a near-ground automated digital camera in 2014 and joined over 100 other core sites in the PhenoCam Network. Following the protocols of the network, the EROS camera regularly captures digital imagery and data used to better understand vegetation cycles. As part of a scientific network of automated cameras, the USGS-EROS data will also contribute to research into the influence of climate change on ecosystem processes like carbon and water uptake by plants.

This camera joins eight other instruments on the EROS grounds including NOAA, CORS, GSOS, and SURFRAD stations, USDA SCAN, NASA AERONET, and a Canadian Climate Reference Station. The wealth of local climate data at this site including meteorological information, incident solar radiation, and soil and surface conditions; improves its value for research. The large dome in the background houses a 10-meter tracking antenna used to receive data directly from the Landsat satellites, for which the USGS has operational responsibility, as well as data from other Earth- observing satellites. Links for further information about the instrument networks at EROS can be found here.

America View, the DOI North Central Climate Science Center, and USGS Land Remote Sensing program all provide support for the PhenoCam. The EROS site and others in the northern Great Plains were recently established to help fill a critical gap in geographic coverage in the PhenoCam Network. 

Acronyms/Terms:
AERONET: Aerosol Robotic Network
CORS: Continuously Operating Reference Station
GSOS: Global Positioning Systems Surface Observation System
NASA: National Aeronautics and Space Administration
NOAA: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
SCAN: Soil Climate Analysis Network
SURFRAD: Surface Radiation Budget
USDA: United States Department of Agriculture