AVHRR FIFE: Site-Average Reflectances from 1 km Satellite Imagery

FIFE site averages of pixel extracts from AVHRR-LAC (1 km resolution) scenes. The dataset provides average radiances for five sensor wavebands and average reflectance for wavebands 1 and 2, clustered in 1987 and the summer of 1989, with some data from early 1988. It supports calibrated surface reflectance estimates with a precision no worse than about 1 percent absolute after atmospheric correction.

Use Cases

• Validating land surface models using site-averaged reflectance data from a known experimental area.
• Analyzing seasonal surface reflectance changes in 1987 and 1989 based on AVHRR wavebands 1 and 2.
• Studying atmospheric correction techniques by comparing exoatmospheric and surface reflectances.
• Assessing the precision of satellite-derived surface reflectance estimates against a ground-truth benchmark.

Strengths

• Provides calibrated surface reflectance estimates with a documented precision of no worse than about 1 percent absolute.
• Offers high-resolution (1x1 km) Local Area Coverage (LAC) data extracted for a specific, well-studied experimental site (FIFE).
• Contains data from multiple years (1987, 1988, 1989), allowing for limited temporal analysis.

Limitations

• Metadata completeness is low: column names, row counts, and exact file sizes are unknown across all platforms.
• Conflicting 'last updated' dates (2026 vs. 1989) suggest potential metadata errors or stale provenance information.
• Temporal coverage is clustered and non-continuous, focused on specific periods in the late 1980s.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Averages of pixel extracts from AVHRR-LAC scenes over the FIFE site, processed from data recorded on board or received via direct readout.

Time Range

1987 to 1989

Freshness

2026-04-09 22:40:16.727663

Geography

FIFE (First ISLSCP Field Experiment) site.