OCO-2 advances photosynthesis observation from space via solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence

Y Sun; C Frankenberg; J D Wood; D S Schimel; M Jung; L Guanter; D T Drewry; M Verma; A Porcar-Castell; T J Griffis; L Gu; T S Magney; P Köhler; B Evans; K Yuen

doi:10.1126/science.aam5747

OCO-2 advances photosynthesis observation from space via solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence

Science. 2017 Oct 13;358(6360):eaam5747. doi: 10.1126/science.aam5747.

Authors

Y Sun¹, C Frankenberg^{2

3}, J D Wood⁴, D S Schimel³, M Jung⁵, L Guanter⁶, D T Drewry^{3

7}, M Verma⁸, A Porcar-Castell⁹, T J Griffis¹⁰, L Gu¹¹, T S Magney³, P Köhler¹², B Evans¹³, K Yuen³

Affiliations

¹ Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA. ys776@cornell.edu cfranken@caltech.edu.
² Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA. ys776@cornell.edu cfranken@caltech.edu.
³ Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA.
⁴ School of Natural Resources, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA.
⁵ Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Jena, Germany.
⁶ Helmholtz Centre Potsdam, German Research Centre for Geosciences, Potsdam, Germany.
⁷ Joint Institute for Regional Earth System Science and Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
⁸ Consulting for Statistics, Computing, and Analytics Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
⁹ Optics of Photosynthesis Laboratory, Department of Forest Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
¹⁰ Department of Soil, Water, and Climate, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN, USA.
¹¹ Environmental Science Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, USA.
¹² Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA.
¹³ Faculty of Agriculture and Environment, School of Life and Environmental Science, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.

PMID: 29026013
DOI: 10.1126/science.aam5747

Abstract

Quantifying gross primary production (GPP) remains a major challenge in global carbon cycle research. Spaceborne monitoring of solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF), an integrative photosynthetic signal of molecular origin, can assist in terrestrial GPP monitoring. However, the extent to which SIF tracks spatiotemporal variations in GPP remains unresolved. Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2)'s SIF data acquisition and fine spatial resolution permit direct validation against ground and airborne observations. Empirical orthogonal function analysis shows consistent spatiotemporal correspondence between OCO-2 SIF and GPP globally. A linear SIF-GPP relationship is also obtained at eddy-flux sites covering diverse biomes, setting the stage for future investigations of the robustness of such a relationship across more biomes. Our findings support the central importance of high-quality satellite SIF for studying terrestrial carbon cycle dynamics.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

Carbon Cycle*
Chlorophyll / analysis*
Ecosystem
Environmental Monitoring
Extraterrestrial Environment
Fluorescence
Photosynthesis*
Sunlight

Substances

Chlorophyll