Improved Characterisation of Vegetation and Land Surface Seasonal Dynamics in Central Japan with Himawari-8...

Spectral vegetation index time series data, such as the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), from moderate resolution, polar-orbiting satellite sensors have widely been used for analysis of vegetation seasonal dynamics from regional to global scales. The utility of these datasets is often limited as frequent/persistent cloud occurrences reduce their effective temporal resolution. In this study, we evaluated improvements in capturing vegetation seasonal changes with 10-min resolution NDVI data derived from Advanced Himawari Imager (AHI), one of new-generation geostationary satellite sensors. Our analysis was focused on continuous monitoring sites, representing three major ecosystems in Central Japan, where in situ time-lapse digital images documenting sky and surface vegetation conditions were available. The very large number of observations available with AHI resulted in improved NDVI temporal signatures that were remarkably similar to those acquired with in situ spectrometers and captured seasonal changes in vegetation and snow cover conditions in finer detail with more certainty than those obtained from Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS), one of the latest polar-orbiting satellite sensors. With the ability to capture in situ-quality NDVI temporal signatures, AHI "hypertemporal" data have the potential to improve spring and autumn phenology characterisation as well as the classification of vegetation formations.