SAFARI 2000 Kalahari Transect Leaf Spectral Reflectance and Transmittance

March 2000 leaf spectral data were collected along the Kalahari Transect in Zambia and Botswana during the SAFARI 2000 wet season field campaign. The Boston University team measured reflectance, transmittance, and albedo from 400 nm to 1100 nm for dominant tree, shrub, and grass species at five sites using a LI-1800 portable spectroradiometer. This dataset was created to support validation of the MODIS LAI/FPAR algorithm.

Use Cases

• Validating satellite-derived Leaf Area Index (LAI) and Fraction of Photosynthetically Active Radiation (FPAR) products from MODIS using ground-truth spectral measurements.
• Modeling light interaction within savanna and grassland canopies using wavelength-specific leaf reflectance and transmittance values.
• Comparing spectral properties of different plant functional types (trees, shrubs, grasses) across a moisture gradient from woodland to arid grassland.
• Analyzing spectral albedo (reflectance + transmittance) of leaves to understand energy absorption for ecological or climate studies.

Strengths

• Provides high-resolution spectral data at 1 nm intervals from 400 nm to 1100 nm for detailed analysis.
• Covers a significant ecological gradient across five sites in the Kalahari Transect, from moist woodlands to arid grasslands.
• Includes measurements for dominant species, with separate files per species and site, plus averaged summaries for trees and shrubs.

Limitations

• Row count, total file size, and specific column names are not provided by any source, limiting precise technical assessment.
• Conflicting last update dates exist: NASA Earthdata lists 2000-03-18, while Data.gov lists 2026-03-12, suggesting a metadata inconsistency.

Provenance

Source

Boston University team, collected for the SAFARI 2000 campaign and distributed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Collection Method

Ground measurements made on-site with a LI-1800 portable spectroradiometer immediately after leaf collection; three to four sample leaves measured per dominant species.

Time Range

March 3 to March 18, -2000

Freshness

2026-03-12

Geography

Five sites along the Kalahari Transect: Mongu (Zambia); Pandamatenga, Maun, Okwa River, and Tshane (Botswana).