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The use of MERIS terrestrial chlorophyll index to study spatio-temporal variation in vegetation phenology over India

The use of MERIS terrestrial chlorophyll index to study spatio-temporal variation in vegetation phenology over India
The use of MERIS terrestrial chlorophyll index to study spatio-temporal variation in vegetation phenology over India
India has a diverse set of vegetation types ranging fromtropical evergreen to dry deciduous. The phenology
of these natural vegetation types is often controlled by climatic condition. Estimating phenological variables will help in understanding the response of tropical and subtropical vegetation to climate change. The study investigated the annual and inter-annual variation in vegetation phenology in India using satellite remote sensing.

The study used time-series data of the only available satellite measured index of terrestrial chlorophyll content (MERIS Terrestrial Chlorophyll Index) from 2003 to 2007 at 4.6 km spatial resolution. A strong coincidence was observed with expected phenological pattern, in particular, in interannual and latitudinal variability of key phenological variables.

For major natural vegetation type the onset of greenness had greater latitudinal variation compared to the end of senescence and there was a small or no leafless period. In the 2003–04 growing season a late start for the onset of greenness was detected at low-to-mid latitudes and it was attributed to the extreme cold weather during the early part of 2003.

The length of growing season varied from east to west for the major cropping areas in the Indo-Gangetic plain,
for both the first and second crops. For the first time, this study attempted to establish a broad regional
phenological pattern for India using remotely sensed estimation of canopy chlorophyll content using five
years of data.

The overall patterns of phenological variables detected from this study broadly coincide with the pattern of natural vegetation phenology revealed in earlier community level studies. The results of this study suggest the need for an organised network combining ground and space observation which is at presently missing in India.
phenology, time-series, chlorophyll index, india, growing season, satellite data
0034-4257
1388-1402
Dash, J.
51468afb-3d56-4d3a-aace-736b63e9fac8
Jeganathan, C.
2dd3d151-7bb1-42b9-bda6-54df0bed4ae8
Atkinson, P.M.
96e96579-56fe-424d-a21c-17b6eed13b0b
Dash, J.
51468afb-3d56-4d3a-aace-736b63e9fac8
Jeganathan, C.
2dd3d151-7bb1-42b9-bda6-54df0bed4ae8
Atkinson, P.M.
96e96579-56fe-424d-a21c-17b6eed13b0b

Dash, J., Jeganathan, C. and Atkinson, P.M. (2010) The use of MERIS terrestrial chlorophyll index to study spatio-temporal variation in vegetation phenology over India. Remote Sensing of Environment, 114 (7), 1388-1402. (doi:10.1016/j.rse.2010.01.021).

Record type: Article

Abstract

India has a diverse set of vegetation types ranging fromtropical evergreen to dry deciduous. The phenology
of these natural vegetation types is often controlled by climatic condition. Estimating phenological variables will help in understanding the response of tropical and subtropical vegetation to climate change. The study investigated the annual and inter-annual variation in vegetation phenology in India using satellite remote sensing.

The study used time-series data of the only available satellite measured index of terrestrial chlorophyll content (MERIS Terrestrial Chlorophyll Index) from 2003 to 2007 at 4.6 km spatial resolution. A strong coincidence was observed with expected phenological pattern, in particular, in interannual and latitudinal variability of key phenological variables.

For major natural vegetation type the onset of greenness had greater latitudinal variation compared to the end of senescence and there was a small or no leafless period. In the 2003–04 growing season a late start for the onset of greenness was detected at low-to-mid latitudes and it was attributed to the extreme cold weather during the early part of 2003.

The length of growing season varied from east to west for the major cropping areas in the Indo-Gangetic plain,
for both the first and second crops. For the first time, this study attempted to establish a broad regional
phenological pattern for India using remotely sensed estimation of canopy chlorophyll content using five
years of data.

The overall patterns of phenological variables detected from this study broadly coincide with the pattern of natural vegetation phenology revealed in earlier community level studies. The results of this study suggest the need for an organised network combining ground and space observation which is at presently missing in India.

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More information

Published date: 15 July 2010
Keywords: phenology, time-series, chlorophyll index, india, growing season, satellite data
Organisations: Geography

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 150961
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/150961
ISSN: 0034-4257
PURE UUID: 2e1a26a0-4fa1-47b6-8768-73e2b2a91b64
ORCID for J. Dash: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-5444-2109
ORCID for P.M. Atkinson: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-5489-6880

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 06 May 2010 15:20
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 02:48

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Contributors

Author: J. Dash ORCID iD
Author: C. Jeganathan
Author: P.M. Atkinson ORCID iD

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