Global Leaf Area Index Field Measurements, 1932-2000

1932-2000 Leaf Area Index (LAI) data compiled from the scientific literature at the ORNL DAAC. The collection supports model development and validation for Earth Observing System MODIS products. It was authored by Gregory P. Asner.

Use Cases

• Validate satellite-derived LAI products based on field measurement data mentioned in the description
• Develop and calibrate global and regional biosphere/atmosphere exchange models based on the key LAI parameter
• Analyze long-term trends in vegetation structure based on the 68-year temporal coverage

Strengths

• Data spans a 68-year period from 1932 to 2000
• Compiled from peer-reviewed scientific literature, suggesting a curated source
• Explicitly intended for validation of a major satellite product (EOS MODIS)

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment
• Last update date is unknown; freshness unverified

Provenance

Source

ORNL DAAC (Oak Ridge National Laboratory Distributed Active Archive Center)

Collection Method

Compiled from the scientific literature.

Time Range

1932-2000

Freshness

Last updated is unknown.

Geography

Global