Interannual variability in North American grassland biomass/productivity detected by SeaWinds scatterometer backscatter

Steve Frolking; M. Fahnestock; T. Milliman; K. McDonald; J. Kimball

doi:10.1029/2005GL024230

Interannual variability in North American grassland biomass/productivity detected by SeaWinds scatterometer backscatter

Steve Frolking, M. Fahnestock, T. Milliman, K. McDonald, J. Kimball

Numeric Terradynamic Simulation Group

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

34 Scopus citations

Abstract

We analyzed 2000-2004 growing-season Sea Winds Kuband microwave backscatter and MODIS leaf area index (LAI) data over North America. Large anomalies in mid-growing-season mean backscatter and LAI, relative to 5-year mean values, occurred primarily in the western Great Plains; backscatter and LAI anomalies had similar spatial patterns across this region. Backscatter and LAI time series data for three ∼10³ km² regions in the western Great Plains were strongly correlated (r² ∼ 0.6-0.8), and variability in mid-growing season values was well-correlated with annual precipitation (October through September). The results indicate that Sea Winds backscatter is sensitive to interannual variability in grassland biomass/productivity, and can provide an assessment that is completely independent of optical/near-infrared remote sensing instruments.

Original language	English
Article number	L21409
Pages (from-to)	1-5
Number of pages	5
Journal	Geophysical Research Letters
Volume	32
Issue number	21
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1029/2005GL024230
State	Published - Nov 16 2005

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title = "Interannual variability in North American grassland biomass/productivity detected by SeaWinds scatterometer backscatter",

abstract = "We analyzed 2000-2004 growing-season Sea Winds Kuband microwave backscatter and MODIS leaf area index (LAI) data over North America. Large anomalies in mid-growing-season mean backscatter and LAI, relative to 5-year mean values, occurred primarily in the western Great Plains; backscatter and LAI anomalies had similar spatial patterns across this region. Backscatter and LAI time series data for three ∼103 km2 regions in the western Great Plains were strongly correlated (r2 ∼ 0.6-0.8), and variability in mid-growing season values was well-correlated with annual precipitation (October through September). The results indicate that Sea Winds backscatter is sensitive to interannual variability in grassland biomass/productivity, and can provide an assessment that is completely independent of optical/near-infrared remote sensing instruments.",

author = "Steve Frolking and M. Fahnestock and T. Milliman and K. McDonald and J. Kimball",

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T1 - Interannual variability in North American grassland biomass/productivity detected by SeaWinds scatterometer backscatter

AU - Frolking, Steve

AU - Fahnestock, M.

AU - Milliman, T.

AU - McDonald, K.

AU - Kimball, J.

PY - 2005/11/16

Y1 - 2005/11/16

N2 - We analyzed 2000-2004 growing-season Sea Winds Kuband microwave backscatter and MODIS leaf area index (LAI) data over North America. Large anomalies in mid-growing-season mean backscatter and LAI, relative to 5-year mean values, occurred primarily in the western Great Plains; backscatter and LAI anomalies had similar spatial patterns across this region. Backscatter and LAI time series data for three ∼103 km2 regions in the western Great Plains were strongly correlated (r2 ∼ 0.6-0.8), and variability in mid-growing season values was well-correlated with annual precipitation (October through September). The results indicate that Sea Winds backscatter is sensitive to interannual variability in grassland biomass/productivity, and can provide an assessment that is completely independent of optical/near-infrared remote sensing instruments.

AB - We analyzed 2000-2004 growing-season Sea Winds Kuband microwave backscatter and MODIS leaf area index (LAI) data over North America. Large anomalies in mid-growing-season mean backscatter and LAI, relative to 5-year mean values, occurred primarily in the western Great Plains; backscatter and LAI anomalies had similar spatial patterns across this region. Backscatter and LAI time series data for three ∼103 km2 regions in the western Great Plains were strongly correlated (r2 ∼ 0.6-0.8), and variability in mid-growing season values was well-correlated with annual precipitation (October through September). The results indicate that Sea Winds backscatter is sensitive to interannual variability in grassland biomass/productivity, and can provide an assessment that is completely independent of optical/near-infrared remote sensing instruments.

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Interannual variability in North American grassland biomass/productivity detected by SeaWinds scatterometer backscatter

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