Spatial covariation between solar-induced fluorescence and vegetation indices from Arctic-Boreal landscapes

The Arctic-Boreal Zone (ABZ) is characterized by spatially heterogeneous vegetation composition and structure, leading to challenges for inferring patterns in vegetation productivity. A mechanistic understanding of the patterns and processes underlying spectral remote sensing observations is necessary to overcome these challenges. Solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF), near-infrared reflectance of vegetation (NIRv), and chlorophyll/carotenoid index (CCI) show promise for tracking productivity and disentangling links to the activity and distribution of chlorophyll at coarse spatial scales (e.g., 0.5), but their effectiveness for studying mixed landscapes characteristic of the ABZ remains unclear. Here, we use airborne observations collected during NASA’s Arctic-Boreal Vulnerability Experiment to examine the spatial covariation between SIF, NIRv, and CCI at a scale (30 m) commensurate with the best available landcover products across interior Alaska. Additionally, we compare relationships among SIF and vegetation indices from spaceborne observations (TROPOMI and MODIS) resampled to a 0.01 (~1000 m) scale. While model simulations support the link between NIRv and CCI to chlorophyll content and photosynthetic capacity, we find that the strength of the SIF-NIRv linear relationship degrades when scaled from the spaceborne to the airborne scale (R2 = 0.50 vs. 0.23, respectively) whereas the strength of the SIF-CCI linear relationship is steady at both spaceborne and airborne scales (R2 = 0.30 vs. 0.31). The relationship of SIF with either vegetation index is strongly dependent on landcover class at both airborne and spaceborne scales. We provide context for how further work could leverage SIF with reflectance indices measurable from a variety of platforms to improve mapping of vegetation dynamics in this ecoregion.