SAFARI 2000: Kalahari Transect Leaf Area Index Measurements

Botswana's Kalahari Transect was the location for ground measurements of Leaf Area Index (LAI) during the SAFARI 2000 wet season field campaign from March 3-18, 2000. The data were collected to validate the MODIS LAI/FPAR algorithm and cover four sites—Pandamatenga, Maun, Okwa River, and Tshane—representing a vegetation gradient from moist woodlands to arid grasslands. Measurements were made at two spatial scales: a 1 km x 1 km transect scale and a finer 250 m x 300 m pixel scale.

Use Cases

• Validating MODIS LAI/FPAR algorithm outputs based on ground-truth measurements from four distinct ecosystems.
• Analyzing spatial variability in vegetation structure using data collected at two different measurement scales (transect and pixel).
• Studying the relationship between canopy characteristics and ecosystem type across a climatic gradient in southern Africa.
• Calibrating or testing other remote sensing models that require in-situ LAI data from semi-arid regions.

Strengths

• Provides ground validation data specifically for the MODIS LAI/FPAR product, a key remote sensing dataset.
• Covers a pronounced ecological gradient across four well-defined sites in Botswana, from north to south.
• Includes measurements at two spatial resolutions (1 km transect and 250 m pixel), allowing for multi-scale analysis.
• Documents specific instrumentation used (LAI-2000, AccuPAR, LI-1800, ASD spectroradiometer), detailing the measurement methodology.

Limitations

• Metadata completeness is low: column names, row counts, and specific file structures are unknown from the provided sources.
• Conflicting 'last updated' dates exist between platforms (2000-03-16 vs. 2026-04-09), creating uncertainty about data currency.
• Temporal coverage is limited to a single, short field campaign (16 days in March 2000), capturing only wet season conditions.

Provenance

Source

Boston University team, collected for the SAFARI 2000 campaign.

Collection Method

Ground measurements using plant canopy analyzers, ceptometers, and portable spectroradiometers during a field campaign.

Time Range

2000-03-03 to 2000-03-18

Freshness

The most recent update recorded is 2026-04-09, though this conflicts with the campaign end date of 2000-03-16.

Geography

Four sites along the Kalahari Transect in Botswana: Pandamatenga, Maun, Okwa River, and Tshane.