SBC LTER: Time series of quarterly NetCDF files of kelp biomass in the canopy from Landsat 5, 7 and 8, since 1984 (ongoing)

This data file represents a time series of canopy area of giant
kelp, Macrocystis pyrifera , and bull kelp, Nereocystis luetkeana , and canopy biomass of
giant kelp derived from Landsat 5 Thematic Mapper (TM), Landsat 7
Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+), Landsat 8 Operational Land
Imager (OLI), and Landsat 9 Operational Land Imager 2 satellite
imagery, along with relevant metadata. The kelp canopy is composed
of the portions of fronds and stipes floating on the surface of
the water. Canopy area (m) data are given for individual 30 x 30
meter pixels for all coastal areas of Baja California, Mexico,
California, Oregon, and the outer coast of Washington (including
offshore islands). Biomass data (wet weight, kg) are given for
individual 30 x 30 meter pixels in the coastal areas extending
from near Ano Nuevo, CA through the southern range limit in Baja
California (including offshore islands), representing the range
where giant kelp is the dominant canopy forming species. Data were derived from the three Landsat sensors listed above.
Observations are made on a 16 day repeat cycle, for each
instrument, but the temporal coverage is irregular because of
cloud cover, instrument failure, and the mission length of each
sensor (TM: 1984 – 2011, ETM+: 1999 – present, OLI: 2013 –
present). Estimates of canopy area are derived from the fractional
cover of kelp canopy determined from satellite surface
reflectance. Estimates of kelp canopy biomass are derived from the
relationship between giant kelp fractional cover determined from
satellite surface reflectance and empirical measurements of giant
kelp canopy biomass in long-term SBC LTER study plots obtained
using SCUBA. The different Landsat sensors were calibrated to each
other using simulated Landsat data derived from hyperspectral
imagery. Missing data due to the ETM+ scan line corrector error
were filled using a synchrony-based gap filling method. Data are organized into a single NetCDF file and contain the
quarterly area and biomass means for each Landsat pixel across the
three sensors. Relevant metadata such as number of Landsat
estimates from which the mean was derived, the number of estimates
from each sensor, standard error for each quarterly estimate,
spatial coordinates, and date are all included in the file. For
assistance with the data, please contact [e-mail].