data_sheet_nole_et_al.txt

Increased intensity and frequency of extreme temperatures such as late spring frosts and heat waves represent the main driver affecting forest ecosystem structure and composition in the Mediterranean region. The main objective of this study is to evaluate the effects of a late spring frost disturbance which occurred during spring 2016 in southern Italy, through the assessment of the spatial pattern of the damages on beech forest canopy at peak decrease of Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), and the analysis of the NDVI temporal recovery after the late spring frost disturbance. The forest areas affected by frost were detected through the NDVI differencing technique based on Landsat 8 (OLI/TIRS) imagery time series. The influence of local geomorphic factors (i.e. aspect, elevation and slope) on forest NDVI patterns was assessed by means of a generalized additive model (GAM). A rather counterintuitive NDVI patterns emerged according to forest exposition, with NDVI significantly higher on the north facing areas than the southerly ones. The main canopy damages occur at about 1250 m and peaking at 1500 m asl, representing the altitudinal range affected by frost disturbance. Finally the full canopy recovery occurred within 3 months from the frost event. The analysis of seasonal Landsat 8 image time-series related to local geomorphic factors, as aspect, slope and altitude, and plant phenology on frost event date, contribute to highlight the NDVI spatio-temporal variation and canopy recovery of Mediterranean mountain beech forest