Remote Sensing-Enabled EBVs Portal for Understanding Terrestrial Ecosystem Dynamics

Sentinel-2 data, as part of the Copernicus Sentinel missions, have ushered in a new era for retrieving vegetation's biophysical and biochemical properties. As a result, several vegetation variables can be accurately retrieved due to the band configuration as well as spatial and temporal resolutions of the Sentinel-2 imagery. Several of these satellite-derived variables have been proposed as essential biodiversity variables (EBVs) by GEOBON or considered as remote sensing enabled-essential biodiversity variables (RS-enabled EBVs) by remote sensing and ecology experts. The leaf area index (LAI) and canopy chlorophyll content (CCC) received considerable attention among proposed RS-enabled EBV candidates. As a critical biophysical vegetation parameter, LAI gives important information about vegetative structure and function. It serves a crucial role in climate modelling and monitoring biodiversity. In this respect, the LAI was suggested as a prioritized RS-enabled EBV candidate for "Ecosystem Function" and "Ecosystem Structure" EBV classes. On the other hand, precise estimation of the CCC is significant for understanding terrestrial ecosystem dynamics such as carbon and water flux, productivity, and light use efficiency. As a result, CCC was recently proposed as a prioritized RS-enabled EBV candidate for "Ecosystem Function" and "Species Traits" EBV classes. In this respect, the Faculty of geoinformation and Earth observation of the University of Twente, as part of its commitment to the e-shape initiative, under the "myECOSYSTEM" showcase, established the portal that enables the user to generate the LAI and CCC products through empirical approaches and using Sentinel-2 data with 20m resolution at the European scale. The generated products will be stored on the server for 48 hours and removed accordingly, enabling the end-users to download and apply them in their investigation or research studies. In addition, some of the CCC products for pilot sites have been permanently populated on the GEOBON EBVs portal in order to provide easy access to regularly scaled products for pilot sites (e.g., the Netherlands and Bavarian Forest Nation Park).