LBA-ECO CD-04: Monthly Leaf and Plant Area Index from Hemispherical Photos, Tapajos Forest

Monthly summary data for leaf area index (LAI) and plant area index (PAI) were estimated from hemispherical photographs collected at the km 83 Tower Site in the Tapajos National Forest, Brazil, between 2000 and 2003. The dataset includes a comma-delimited file of monthly summaries and a compressed archive of .bmp image files for 2000-2001, capturing conditions both pre- and post-logging. A companion text file provides program code developed for the LAI analysis.

Use Cases

• Analyzing seasonal and interannual variation in canopy structure based on monthly LAI/PAI summaries.
• Comparing pre- and post-logging forest canopy conditions using the provided hemispherical photo images.
• Validating or calibrating satellite-derived LAI products with ground-based photographic estimates.
• Applying or adapting the provided analysis code for LAI estimation from other hemispherical photo datasets.

Strengths

• Includes original hemispherical photograph images (.bmp) for visual inspection and re-analysis.
• Provides a multi-year time series (2000-2003) for observing temporal trends.
• Contains both data summaries and the analysis code, supporting reproducibility.

Limitations

• Key metadata such as row count, specific column names, and exact file sizes are unavailable across all sources.
• Sources conflict on the 'last updated' date (2003 vs. 2026), casting doubt on metadata maintenance.
• The license is specified only as 'other-license-specified', requiring further investigation for reuse.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

LAI estimated from hemispherical photographs using histogram and gap-fraction analysis methods.

Time Range

2000 to 2003

Freshness

2003-05-30 23:59:59.999000

Geography

km 83 Tower Site, Tapajos National Forest, Para, Brazil