Topic #4: Vegetation phenology and climatic controls

Datasets

• MODIS leaf area index, AIRS surface air temperature, TRMM precipitation, CERES surface downwelling shortwave radiation

Geographic foci

• northern latitude forests of North America, African sahel, Australia

Questions

1. How is the seasonal phenology of northern latitude forests influenced by near surface temperature and precipitation?
2. How are arid system vegetation dynamics influenced by temperature and precipitation?
3. Can radiation, temperature and precipitation forcing be used to determine the extent to which these systems are energy vs water limited?
4. What can these datasets say about inter-annual variability in phenology, and the climatic drivers of that variability?

Contact Scientist

Dr. Darren Drewry, Dr. Konstantinos Andreadis