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Leaf Area Index for Africa September, 2000, through May, 2001

MODIS' observations also allow scientists to track two 'vital signs' of Earth's vegetation. At Boston University, a team of researchers is using MODIS data to create global estimates of the green leaf area of Earth's vegetation and how much sunlight the leaves are absorbing. Called LAI, for 'Leaf Area Index,' and FPAR, for 'Fraction of absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation,' both pieces of information are necessary for understanding how sunlight interacts with the Earth's vegetated surfaces-from the top layer, called the canopy, through the understory vegetation, and down to the ground.

This LAI animation shows the cycle of wet and dry
seasons in Africa with the corresponding dates from September 2000 through May 2001 and the
corresponding variation in the green leaf area and how much sunlight the
leaves are absorbing over the course of a year.    This LAI animation shows the cycle of wet and dry seasons in Africa with the corresponding dates from September 2000 through May 2001 and the corresponding variation in the green leaf area and how much sunlight the leaves are absorbing over the course of a year.
Duration: 7.0 seconds
Available formats:
  320x240 (30 fps) MPEG-1   1 MB
  320x240 (30 fps) MPEG-1   1 MB
  320x240     JPEG         11 KB
  320x240     JPEG         11 KB
How to play our movies


April and May, 2001    April and May, 2001

Available formats:
  2880 x 1944     TIFF 4 MB
  160 x 80           PNG 13 KB
  320 x 216         JPEG 16 KB
  80 x 40             PNG   3 KB


December, 2000    December, 2000

Available formats:
  2880 x 1944     TIFF 4 MB
  320 x 216         JPEG 16 KB


September, 2000    September, 2000

Available formats:
  2880 x 1944     TIFF 4 MB
  320 x 216         JPEG 16 KB
  80 x 40             PNG   4 KB

Animation Number:2315
Animators:Joycelyn Thomson (Lead)
 Lori Perkins
Studio:SVS
Completed:2001-12-13
Scientists:Ranga Myneni (Boston University)
 Yuri Knjazihhin (Boston University)
Writer:Rebecca E. Lindsey
Instrument:Terra/MODIS
Data Collected:09/2000, 12/2000, 05/2001
Video:SVS2001-0022 *
Keywords:
DLESE >> Agricultural science
DLESE >> Biology
SVS >> LAI
SVS >> Leaf Area Index
GCMD >> Location >> Africa
More Information on this topic available at:
http://eob.gsfc.nasa.gov/Newsroom/EVI_LAI_FPAR/
 
 
Please give credit for this item to
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center
Scientific Visualization Studio


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