Multiscale phenology of seasonally dry tropical forests in an aridity gradient

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Ramos, Desiree M. ; Andrade, Joao M. ; Alberton, Bruna C. ; Moura, Magna S. B. ; Domingues, Tomas F. ; Neves, Nattalia ; Lima, Jose R. S. ; Souza, Rodolfo ; Souza, Eduardo ; Silva, Jose R. ; Espirito-Santo, Mario M. ; Morellato, Leonor Patricia Cerdeira ; Cunha, John

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: FRONTIERS IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE; v. 11, p. 16-pg., 2023-12-18.

Abstract

The leaf phenology of seasonally dry tropical forests (SDTFs) is highly seasonal, marked by synchronized flushing of new leaves triggered by the first rains of the wet season. Such phenological transitions may not be accurately detected by remote sensing vegetation indices and derived transition dates (TDs) due to the coarse spatial and temporal resolutions of satellite data. The aim of this study was to compared TDs from PhenoCams and satellite remote sensing (RS) and used the TDs calculated from PhenoCams to select the best thresholds for RS time series and calculate TDs. For this purpose, we assembled cameras in seven sites along an aridity gradient in the Brazilian Caatinga, a region dominated by SDTFs. The leafing patterns were registered during one to three growing seasons from 2017 to 2020. We drew a region of interest (ROI) in the images to calculate the normalized green chromatic coordinate index. We compared the camera data with the NDVI time series (2000-2019) derived from near-infrared (NIR) and red bands from MODIS product data. Using calibrated PhenoCam thresholds reduced the mean absolute error by 5 days for SOS and 34 days for EOS, compared to common thresholds in land surface phenology studies. On average, growing season length (LOS) did not differ significantly among vegetation types, but the driest sites showed the highest interannual variation. This pattern was applied to leaf flushing (SOS) and leaf fall (EOS) as well. We found a positive relationship between the accumulated precipitation and the LOS and between the accumulated precipitation and maximum and minimum temperatures and the vegetation productivity (peak and accumulated NDVI). Our results demonstrated that (A) the fine temporal resolution of phenocamera phenology time series improved the definitions of TDs and thresholds for RS landscape phenology; (b) long-term RS greening responded to the variability in rainfall, adjusting their timing of green-up and green-down, and (C) the amount of rainfall, although not determinant for the length of the growing season, is related to the estimates of vegetation productivity. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 19/11835-2 - Phenology of deciduous dry forests: a comparison at multiple spatial scales using phenocams and drones
• Grantee: Leonor Patricia Cerdeira Morellato
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• FAPESP's process: 13/50155-0 - Combining new technologies to monitor phenology from leaves to ecosystems
• Grantee: Leonor Patricia Cerdeira Morellato
• Support Opportunities: Research Program on Global Climate Change - University-Industry Cooperative Research (PITE)
• FAPESP's process: 21/10639-5 - Center for Research on Biodiversity Dynamics and Climate Change
• Grantee: Leonor Patricia Cerdeira Morellato
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Research, Innovation and Dissemination Centers - RIDC
• FAPESP's process: 16/01413-5 - Using leaf phenology patterns to investigate net ecosystem exchange controls in tropical vegetations
• Grantee: Bruna de Costa Alberton
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate
• FAPESP's process: 22/07735-5 - The impact of climate variability and weather extremes on plant phenology and its implications on biodiversity
• Grantee: Leonor Patricia Cerdeira Morellato
• Support Opportunities: Research Program on Global Climate Change - Thematic Grants
• FAPESP's process: 15/50488-5 - Nordeste: new science for a neglected biome
• Grantee: Jonathan James Lloyd
• Support Opportunities: Research Projects - SPEC Program
• FAPESP's process: 14/00215-0 - Remote phenology and leaf exchange patterns towards a sazonality gradient
• Grantee: Bruna de Costa Alberton
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• FAPESP's process: 09/54208-6 - Multi-User Centralized Laboratory at the São Paulo State University Center for Biodiversity Studies
• Grantee: Célio Fernando Baptista Haddad
• Support Opportunities: Multi-user Equipment Program
• FAPESP's process: 17/17380-1 - Near-surface remote phenology and leaf attributes of seasonal vegetation
• Grantee: Desirée Marques Ramos
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral