Normalized difference vegetation index estimation in grasslands of patagonia by ANN analysis of satellite and climatic data.

TOMASEL, F.G.; PARUELO, J.M.

Applications of artificial neural networks to ecological modelling

Springer-Verlag

Año: 2000; p. 69 - 79

The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), derived from the red and infrared bands of the AVHRR on-board sensor of NOAA satellites, shows a high correlation with biophysical rates of the target area, such as transpiration or primary productivity (Sellers et al. 1992). NDVI has been shown to be a linear estimator of the fraction of the photosynthetic active radiation (PAR) absorbed by the canopy (Potter et al. 1993; Ruimy et al. 1994). Monteith (1981) showed that the amount of PAR absorbed throughout the growing season is the major control of net primary production. NDVI data also allows the tracking of intra-annual changes in carbon gains (Lloyd 1990; Paruelo and Lauenroth 1995).