NASA ACCP Project: Leaf and Canopy Chemistry with Reflectance Spectra

NASA's Accelerated Canopy Chemistry Program (ACCP) collected approximately 1000 leaf samples from 5 geographically distinct sites. Analyses at the University of New Hampshire determined carbon constituents and nitrogen content to calibrate Visible/NIR reflectance for estimating canopy chemistry. The dataset includes AVIRIS image scenes from 1992 and reflectance spectra of seedling canopies.

Use Cases

• Calibrating remote sensing reflectance models based on measured leaf nitrogen and lignin content.
• Investigating relationships between AVIRIS reflectance measurements and plot-level leaf chemistry.
• Analyzing the effect of fertilization and canopy density on foliar nitrogen and chlorophyll concentration.
• Developing spectral estimation models for canopy carbon and nitrogen concentrations.

Strengths

• Approximately 1000 leaf samples analyzed, providing a substantial calibration set.
• Data collected from 5 geographically distinct sites, suggesting some geographic diversity.
• Includes paired chemical analysis and spectral reflectance measurements (400-2500 nm).

Limitations

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

Provenance

Source

NASA Accelerated Canopy Chemistry Program (ACCP), University of New Hampshire.

Collection Method

Leaf samples analyzed via chemical extraction and combustion; canopy reflectance measured under natural sunlight.

Time Range

Includes data from 1992.

Freshness

AVIRIS image scenes were acquired in 1992; other temporal details are unknown.

Geography

Samples from 5 geographically distinct sites (specifics unknown).