Elucidating space based observations of solar induced chlorophyll fluorescence over terrestrial vegetation of India

Abstract

Remotely sensed plant fluorescence signals have the potential to facilitate a better understanding of vegetation photosynthetic dynamics. Space based observations of solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF) provides an alternative non-invasive approach to investigate gross primary production (GPP), a key element of ecological research. Orbiting carbon observatory (OCO-2) is providing continuous global measurements of SIF at 757 nm and 771 nm wavelengths with nadir and glint mode observations. Using one of the three spectrometer instruments, measurements of SIF complements OCO-2’s Carbon dioxide data with information on when and where plants are drawing carbon from the atmosphere. Here, we present spatio-temporal patterns of space borne observations of SIF and its correlation with GPP and vegetation indices over diverse terrestrial vegetation of India. The results indicate a spatial variability in SIF ranging from 0.001 to 0.6 (± 0.16) Wm−2 µm−1 sr−1 and 0.001 to 0.7 (± 0.2) Wm−2 µm−1 sr−1 in nadir and glint modes, respectively. OCO-2 derived SIF at finer scale shows a similar trend with MODIS derived GPP during September–October–November and June–July–August seasons. A linear correlation of satellite derived SIF with GPP (Pearson’s coefficient, r = 0.84), EVI (r = 0.72) and NDVI (r = 0.63) at 757 nm for 0.05° × 0.05° grid over terrestrial India is reported, besides seasonal variations. Amongst the diverse vegetation types, SIF and GPP are well correlated over Evergreen broadleaf forests. The study provides new insights and useful inputs to GPP modelling and improved understanding of terrestrial carbon cycle research in India.