Data Archive

HF418

PhenoCam Images and Canopy Phenology at the Harvard Forest Witness Tree since 2014

Related Publications

Data

hf418-01: Witness Tree images

Overview

Lead: Andrew Richardson
Investigators: William Munger
Contact: Information Manager
Start date: 2014
End date: 2021
Status: ongoing
Location: Prospect Hill Tract (Harvard Forest)
Latitude: +42.50 to +42.54 degrees
Longitude: -72.21 to -72.17 degrees
Elevation: 280 to 420 meter
Datum: WGS84
Taxa:
Release date: 2023
Language: English
EML file: knb-lter-hfr.418.2
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:
A webcam at this location records images at 30-minute intervals during daylight hours. These images are then uploaded to the project archive at the University of New Hampshire.

The Witness Tree is a 100-year-old oak tree at Harvard Forest that is part of a Harvard Forest social media outreach project. Its camera is mounted at ground level (0.8 meters) and pointed upward.
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 Witness Tree since 2014. Harvard Forest Data Archive: HF418 (v.2). Environmental Data Initiative: https://doi.org/10.6073/pasta/a899edd42aaff9c22ef226f11279be12.

Detailed Metadata

hf418-01: Witness Tree images

Compression: zip
Format: jpeg
Type: image