A long-term reconstruction of a global photosynthesis proxy over 1982–2023

Abstract Satellite-observed solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF) is a powerful proxy for the photosynthetic characteristics of terrestrial ecosystems. Direct SIF observations are primarily limited to the recent decade, impeding their application in detecting long-term dynamics of ecosystem f...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Jianing Fang, Xu Lian, Youngryel Ryu, Sungchan Jeong, Chongya Jiang, Pierre Gentine
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-03-01
Series:Scientific Data
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-025-04686-6
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Summary:Abstract Satellite-observed solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF) is a powerful proxy for the photosynthetic characteristics of terrestrial ecosystems. Direct SIF observations are primarily limited to the recent decade, impeding their application in detecting long-term dynamics of ecosystem function. In this study, we leverage two surface reflectance bands available both from Advanced Very High-Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR, 1982–2023) and MODerate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS, 2001–2023). Importantly, we calibrate and orbit-correct the AVHRR bands against their MODIS counterparts during their overlapping period. Using the long-term bias-corrected reflectance data from AVHRR and MODIS, a neural network is trained to produce a Long-term Continuous SIF-informed Photosynthesis Proxy (LCSPP) by emulating Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 SIF, mapping it globally over the 1982–2023 period. Compared with previous SIF-informed photosynthesis proxies, LCSPP has similar skill but can be advantageously extended to the AVHRR period. Further comparison with three widely used vegetation indices (NDVI, kNDVI, NIRv) shows a higher or comparable correlation of LCSPP with satellite SIF and site-level GPP estimates across vegetation types, ensuring a greater capacity for representing long-term photosynthetic activity.
ISSN:2052-4463