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Harvard Forest Data Archive

HF417

PhenoCam Images and Canopy Phenology at the Harvard Forest Hemlock Tower since 2010

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Data

Overview

  • Lead: Andrew Richardson
  • Investigators: William Munger
  • Contact: Information Manager
  • Start date: 2010
  • End date: 2021
  • Status: ongoing
  • Location: Prospect Hill Tract (Harvard Forest)
  • Latitude: +42.54 degrees
  • Longitude: -72.18 degrees
  • Elevation: 355 meter
  • Datum: WGS84
  • Taxa:
  • Release date: 2023
  • Language: English
  • EML file: knb-lter-hfr.417.15
  • DOI: digital object identifier
  • EDI: data package
  • DataONE: data package
  • Related links:
  • Study type: long-term measurement
  • Research topic: ecological informatics and modelling; forest-atmosphere exchange; physiological ecology, population dynamics and species interactions; regional studies
  • LTER core area: primary production, population studies
  • Keywords: canopies, imagery, leaves, phenology, remote sensing
  • Abstract:

    The PhenoCam Network uses imagery from digital cameras to track vegetation phenology and seasonal changes in vegetation activity in diverse ecosystems across North America and around the world. Imagery is uploaded to the PhenoCam server at the University of New Hampshire, where it is made publicly available in near-real time, every 30 minutes from sunrise to sunset, 365 days a year.

    The data are processed using simple image analysis tools to yield a measure of canopy greenness, from which phenological metrics are extracted, characterizing the start and end of the growing season. These transition dates have been shown to align well with on-the-ground observations of tree phenology at Harvard Forest (HF003). Long-term PhenoCam data can be used to track the impact of climate variability and change on the rhythm of the seasons.

    This dataset contains one mid-day image for each camera. Please see the PhenoCam Network website (https://phenocam.nau.edu/webcam/) for more information and additional images.

  • Methods:

    Webcams at this location record images at 30-minute intervals during daylight hours. These images are then uploaded to the project archive at the University of New Hampshire.

    The Hemlock Tower NE camera (since 2010) is mounted on the Hemlock Tower at a height of 25 meters with a view toward the northeast.

    The Hemlock Tower SW camera (since 2015) is mounted on the Hemlock Tower at a height of 25 meters with a view toward the southwest.

  • Organization: Harvard Forest. 324 North Main Street, Petersham, MA 01366, USA. Phone (978) 724-3302. Fax (978) 724-3595.

  • Project: The Harvard Forest Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) program examines ecological dynamics in the New England region resulting from natural disturbances, environmental change, and human impacts. (ROR).

  • Funding: National Science Foundation LTER grants: DEB-8811764, DEB-9411975, DEB-0080592, DEB-0620443, DEB-1237491, DEB-1832210.

  • Use: This dataset is released to the public under Creative Commons CC0 1.0 (No Rights Reserved). Please keep the dataset creators informed of any plans to use the dataset. Consultation with the original investigators is strongly encouraged. Publications and data products that make use of the dataset should include proper acknowledgement.

  • License: Creative Commons Zero v1.0 Universal (CC0-1.0)

  • Citation: Richardson A. 2023. PhenoCam Images and Canopy Phenology at the Harvard Forest Hemlock Tower since 2010. Harvard Forest Data Archive: HF417 (v.15). Environmental Data Initiative: https://doi.org/10.6073/pasta/7b497b4aa98559b43c0730bed7164a8b.

Detailed Metadata

hf417-01: Hemlock Tower NE images

  • Compression: zip
  • Format: jpeg
  • Type: image

hf417-02: Hemlock Tower SW images

  • Compression: zip
  • Format: jpeg
  • Type: image