Remote Sensing Phenology
Tracking the Seasons from Space
Methods, Metrics and Challenges of Study by Satellite
Methods, Metrics and Challenges of Study by Satellite
EROS Phenocam
Remote Sensing Phenology
Phenology is the study of plant and animal life cycles in relation to the seasons. EROS maintains a set of nine annual phenological metrics for the conterminous United States, all curated from satellite data. Taken together, the metrics represent a powerful tool for documenting life cycle trends and the impacts of climate change on ecosystems.
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Learn More
Remote Sensing Phenology uses satellites to track seasonal changes in vegetation on regional, continental, and global scales.
Get Data
Get Data
Historical remote sensing phenology (RSP) image data and graphics for the conterminous U.S. are made freely available from the USGS/EROS Center.
Other Resources
Other Resources
Here are web resources that provide information about phenology, both ground-based and via remote sensing
Publications
Exploring VIIRS continuity with MODIS in an expedited capability for monitoring drought-related vegetation conditions Exploring VIIRS continuity with MODIS in an expedited capability for monitoring drought-related vegetation conditions
Vegetation has been effectively monitored using remote sensing time-series vegetation index (VI) data for several decades. Drought monitoring has been a common application with algorithms tuned to capturing anomalous temporal and spatial vegetation patterns. Drought stress models, such as the Vegetation Drought Response Index (VegDRI), often use VIs like the Normalized Difference...
Exploring relationships of spring green-up to moisture and temperature across Wyoming, U.S.A Exploring relationships of spring green-up to moisture and temperature across Wyoming, U.S.A
Vegetation green-up signals the timing of available nutritious plants and shrubs providing high-quality forage for ungulates. In this study, we characterized spatial and temporal patterns of spring phenology and explored how they were related to preceding temperature and moisture conditions. We tested correlations between late winter weather and indicators of the onset and the length of...
Optimizing a remote sensing production efficiency model for macro-scale GPP and yield estimation in agroecosystems Optimizing a remote sensing production efficiency model for macro-scale GPP and yield estimation in agroecosystems
Earth observation data are increasingly used to provide consistent eco-physiological information over large areas through time. Production efficiency models (PEMs) estimate Gross Primary Production (GPP) as a function of the fraction of photosynthetically active radiation absorbed by the canopy, which is derived from Earth observation. GPP can be summed over the growing season and...