Weekly AVHRR NDVI Composites and Anomalies for the Contiguous United States

Weekly or biweekly AVHRR composite NDVI and departure from average data have been collected for the conterminous United States since 1997. The data, obtained from the EROS Data Center, are specifically acquired during the midwestern growing season, from approximately week 10 to week 40 of each year. The dataset is managed by the organization SCIOPS.

Use Cases

• Analyze NDVI composite values to track weekly vegetation greenness and crop development stages.
• Use departure from average values to identify regions experiencing vegetation stress or anomalous growth relative to the 1989 baseline period.
• Model the relationship between weekly NDVI anomalies and seasonal climate patterns for yield forecasting.
• Monitor the spatial extent and progression of the growing season across the midwestern states from week 10 to week 40.

Strengths

• Time series extends from 1997, providing over two decades of seasonal vegetation data.
• Data provides two key metrics per pixel: maximum NDVI composite and its departure from a long-term average.

Limitations

• Data coverage is limited to the growing season (weeks 10-40), missing full annual cycles.
• Spatial focus is on the conterminous United States, with specific emphasis on midwestern states, limiting global applicability.

Provenance

Source

EROS Data Center, provided to SCIOPS.

Collection Method

AVHRR satellite data processed into weekly/biweekly composite NDVI images, with per-pixel departure calculated from a baseline average starting in 1989.

Time Range

1997 onward, with weekly/biweekly observations during weeks 10-40 of each year.

Freshness

Data was received weekly or biweekly during the acquisition period; final update date is unknown.

Geography

Conterminous United States, with a focus on midwestern states.