Diverse relationships between forest growth and the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index at a global scale

This study compared the densest available database of tree-ring growth with the longest Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) information available at the global scale to quantify the relationship between annual forest growth and the NDVI across different forest types and regions and to char...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Remote sensing of environment 2016-12, Vol.187, p.14-29
Main Authors: Vicente-Serrano, Sergio M., Camarero, J. Julio, Olano, José M., Martín-Hernández, Natalia, Peña-Gallardo, Marina, Tomás-Burguera, Miquel, Gazol, Antonio, Azorin-Molina, Cesar, Bhuyan, Upasana, El Kenawy, Ahmed
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Climate
climate-change
Dendrochronology
Earth and Related Environmental Sciences
ecosystem
Environmental Sciences & Ecology
Forest growth
Forests
Geovetenskap och miljövetenskap
Imaging Science
leaf-area index
maximum latewood density
net primary production
Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI)
norway spruce
Photographic Technology
productivity
Remote Sensing
seasonal dynamics
secondary forests
semiarid ecosystems
Tree rings
tree-ring analysis
Trees
Vegetation
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Summary:This study compared the densest available database of tree-ring growth with the longest Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) information available at the global scale to quantify the relationship between annual forest growth and the NDVI across different forest types and regions and to characterize the patterns of response of forest growth to NDVI values at different temporal scales. We found a general positive relationship between the inter-annual NDVI variability and the annual tree growth in most of the analyzed forests. Nevertheless, there were strong differences in the tree growth responses to NDVI, given that the annual tree-ring records in each forest responded in a different way to the magnitude, seasonality and accumulation period of the NDVI values. Thus, we found eight main patterns of tree-ring response to the NDVI, which were related to the forest type and climate conditions of each corresponding site. The identified patterns may be useful for determining early-warning signals of changes in forest growth over large areas based on remote sensing information. •Positive relationship between inter-annual NDVI variability and annual tree growth•Strong differences found in the tree growth responses to NDVI on the global scale.•We found eight main patterns of tree-ring response to the NDVI.
ISSN:0034-4257
1879-0704
DOI:10.1016/j.rse.2016.10.001