Ground and space spectral measurements for assessing the semi-arid ecosystem phenology related to CO2 fluxes of biological soil crusts

This paper reports on ranges of carbon dioxide (CO2) activity in biological soil crusts (BSC) correlated with different ranges of the BSCʹs spectral reflectance throughout the phenological cycle of the year. Methodology is based on surface CO2 exchange measurements, ground spectral measurements, and satellite images interpretation. Thirty-nine field campaigns, each of duration of 3 days, were conducted over the course of 2 years at a sand dunes and a loess environment of the northwestern Negev desert in Israel, in order to relate the CO2 fluxes and the spectral signals to the seasonal phenology. The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) was derived from ground measurements of the BSCʹs reflectance and correlated with their CO2 exchange data. A linear mixture model, incorporating the different contributions of the sitesʹ ground features, was calculated and compared with SPOT-HRV data. From the ground measurements, fairly good correlations were found between the NDVI and the CO2 fluxes on a seasonal scale. Hence, the NDVI successfully indicates the potential magnitude and capacity of the BSCʹs assimilation activity. The linear mixture model successfully describes the phenological cycles of the BSC, annual, and perennial plants and corresponds well to the satellite data. Moreover, the model enables annual changes of the phenology cycle and the growing season length to be distinguished. Both the linear mixture model and the derived NDVI values recorded the recovery of the BSC at the beginning of the wet season before annuals had germinated. Finally, it is concluded that a combination of CO2 exchange measurements, linear mixture model, and NDVI values is suitable for monitoring BSCʹs productivity in arid regions.