The ORNL DAAC recently released a new Arctic-Boreal Vulnerability Experiment (ABoVE) dataset by Berner, L.T., et al. (2021):
ABoVE: Landsat Tundra Greenness and Summer Air Temperatures, Arctic Tundra, 1985-2016
This dataset provides annual tundra greenness and summer air temperatures at a resolution of 50 km over the pan-Arctic tundra biome above 31.5 degrees over the time period 1985 to 2016. Annual tundra greenness was assessed using the maximum Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVImax) derived from surface reflectance from the Landsat satellites. Summer air temperatures were quantified using the Summer Warmth Index (SWI) derived from an ensemble of five global temperature datasets. Tabular data include NDVImax, SWI, and estimates of uncertainty using Monte Carlo simulations at 45,334 vegetated sampling sites. Raster data provide (1) annual SWI from 1985 to 2016; (2) temporal trends in annual NDVImax and SWI from 1985 to 2016 and from 2000 to 2016; and (3) temporal correlations between annual NDVImax - SWI during these two periods. Uncertainty estimates are also provided. This dataset provides a new pan-Arctic product for assessing inter-annual variability in tundra using moderate resolution observations from the Landsat satellites.
The ABoVE is a NASA Terrestrial Ecology Program field campaign being conducted in Alaska and western Canada, for 8 to 10 years, starting in 2015. Research for ABoVE links field-based, process-level studies with geospatial data products derived from airborne and satellite sensors, providing a foundation for improving the analysis, and modeling capabilities needed to understand and predict ecosystem responses to, and societal implications of, climate change in the Arctic and Boreal regions.
Additional data from ABoVE and other relevant links can be found on the ORNL DAAC's ABoVE Project Page.
Citation: Berner, L.T., R. Massey, and S.J. Goetz. 2021. ABoVE: Landsat Tundra Greenness and Summer Air Temperatures, Arctic Tundra, 1985-2016. ORNL DAAC, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA. https://doi.org/10.3334/ORNLDAAC/1893