Canopy Phenology, Remote Sensing and Microclimate at Harvard Forest since 2006

Our research at the Harvard Forest walk-up tower site examines how seasonality of canopy leaf area, or canopy phenology, influences, and is influenced by, local climate. As part of this activity we are studying methods for (and limits to) remote sensing of canopy phenology. To address this research topic, we have initiated measurements to quantify how radiation fluxes through a deciduous forest canopy are modified by seasonal canopy leaf dynamics. We continuously measure above- and below-canopy radiation fluxes at a variety of spectral bands (shortwave, photosynthetic) and with digital photography. These measurements provide a surrogate measures of canopy leaf area dynamics, and directly represent the radiation component of the surface energy balance. These measurements complement ongoing microclimate and eddy covariance measurements of water and carbon exchange at the EMS flux tower.