Field-Collected Spectral Reflectance of Dominant Vegetation at the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge

This dataset includes field-collected spectral reflectance of dominant vegetation species in grassland and shrubland at the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge collected monthly May – September 2019. A spectroradiometer was used to collect the percent spectral reflectance of electromagnetic radiation (range 400-2500nm) of a sample of dominant vegetation species ("spectra"), yielding a spectral curve for each species. At least ten individuals per species were sampled. These data form a spectral library which was used to calibrate a multiple-endmember spectral mixture analysis (MESMA) of satellite imagery of the Sevilleta NWR, as part of an ongoing collaboration between the LTER and the Center for the Advancement of Spatial Informatics Research and Education (ASPIRE). Ultimately, we aim to produce fractional images of green vegetation, non-photosynthetic vegetation, bare soil, and shade to form a synoptic thirty-year record of vegetation dynamics at the Refuge. The spectral library can be referenced by future researchers using remote sensing methods to examine vegetation dynamics at the Sevilleta NWR.