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

  • Released Thursday, December 20, 2001
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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.

April and May, 2001

April and May, 2001

December, 2000

December, 2000

September, 2000

September, 2000

Video slate reads, 'Leaf Area Index for Africa taken by Terra/MODIS; September 2000 through May 2001.'

Video slate reads, 'Leaf Area Index for Africa taken by Terra/MODIS; September 2000 through May 2001.'

For More Information

See http://eob.gsfc.nasa.gov/Newsroom/EVI_LAI_FPAR/

Credits

Please give credit for this item to:
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Scientific Visualization Studio

This page was originally published on Thursday, December 20, 2001.
This page was last updated on Wednesday, May 3, 2023 at 1:57 PM EDT.

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