FIFE: Spectral Reflectance Response to Simulated Grazing and Fertilization

1987 data from the FIFE study area examines the spectral reflectance of manipulated vegetative canopies. The dataset contains reflectance factors and standard errors for four MSS bands, supporting analysis of a curvilinear relationship between vegetation productivity and grazing intensity. Measurements were taken at two locations in the northwest quadrant during the growing season.

Use Cases

• Modeling the relationship between grazing intensity and vegetation productivity based on spectral reflectance.
• Analyzing the impact of fertilization on canopy optical properties using reflectance factor data.
• Calibrating remote sensing vegetation indices with ground-truthed canopy reflectance measurements.

Strengths

• Data supports a specific ecological hypothesis (curvilinear productivity-grazing relationship).
• Measurements include standard error for each spectral band, indicating data quality assessment.
• Dataset is hosted by a major authoritative organization (NASA).

Limitations

• Column names and exact row count are unknown, limiting immediate analysis.
• Conflicting metadata: one platform lists a last updated date in 2026, while the original data is from 1987.
• Data scale is limited to two locations within a single study area in 1987.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Collection Method

Field measurements using an Exotech radiometer on manipulated plots.

Time Range

1987 (growing season)

Freshness

Last updated metadata varies: 2026-04-09 on datagov vs. original data from 1987-10-13.

Geography

Northwest quadrant of the FIFE (First ISLSCP Field Experiment) study area.