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Modelling dry season deciduousness in Mexican Yucatán forest using MODIS EVI data (2000–2011)
GIScience & Remote Sensing (2013)
  • Nicholas Cuba, Clark University
  • John Rogan, Clark University
  • Zachary Christman, Rowan University
  • Christopher A. Williams, Clark University
  • Laura Schneider, Rutgers University
  • Deborah Lawrence, University of Virginia
  • Marco Millones, Clark University
Abstract
This study maps interannual variation in the spatial extent of deciduousness in the dry tropical forests of the southern Yucatán (Mexico) from 2000 to 2011 using seasonal variability thresholds based on Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) data and relates deciduousness to precipitation- and temperature-derived climate variables using linear regressions. The annual occurrence of deciduousness is most frequently observed in forests located in a regional rain shadow at moderate elevations. Regression results suggest that deciduousness is more strongly associated with atypically hot conditions (–2°C; R 2 = 0.44) than with atypically dry conditions (R 2 = 0.19), in contrast to other phenological processes (e.g. leaf growth, peak productivity) driven primarily by precipitation.
Keywords
  • phenology,
  • deciduousness,
  • MODIS
Publication Date
2013
Citation Information
Nicholas Cuba, John Rogan, Zachary Christman, Christopher A. Williams, et al.. "Modelling dry season deciduousness in Mexican Yucatán forest using MODIS EVI data (2000–2011)" GIScience & Remote Sensing Vol. 50 Iss. 1 (2013) p. 26 - 49
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/zachary-christman/6/