Green leaf phenology at Landsat resolution: Scaling from the field to the satellite

Despite the large number of in situ, plot-level phenological measurements and satellite-derived phenological studies, there has been little success to date in merging these records temporally or spatially. In this research, we bridge this scale gap through higher resolution satellite records (Landsat) and quantify the accuracy of satellite-derived metrics with direct field measurements. We compiled fifty-seven Landsat scenes from southern New England (P12 R51) from 1984 to 2002. Green vegetation areal abundance for each scene was derived from spectral mixture analysis and a single set of endmembers. The leaf area signal was fit with a logistic-growth simulating sigmoid curve to derive phenological markers (half-maximum leaf-onset and offset). Spring leaf-onset dates in homogenous stands of deciduous forests displayed significant and persistent local variability. The local variability was validated with multiple springtime ground observations (r2 = 0.91). The highest degree of verified small-scale variation occurred where contiguous forests displayed leaf-onset gradients of 10–14 days over short distances (< 500 m). These dramatic gradients occur in of low-relief (< 40 m) upland regions. The patterns suggest that microclimates resulting from springtime cold-air drainage may be influential in governing the start of leaf growth; every 4.16 m loss in elevation delayed spring leaf onset by 1 day. These microclimates may be of crucial importance in interpreting in situ records and interpolating phenology from satellite data. Regional patterns from the Landsat analyses suggest topographic, coastal, and land-use controls on phenology. Our results indicate that deciduous forests in the Providence, RI metropolitan area leaf out 5–7 days earlier than comparable rural areas. The platform-independent curve-fit methodology may be extended across platforms and field data. The methodologically consistent approach, in tandem with Landsat data, allows an effective scaling from plot to satellite phenological observations.