Changes in Canopy Cover with NASA MODIS Leaf Area Index Data

Did you know that tree canopy cover can be measured from space? The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensor onboard NASA’s Terra and Aqua satellites can do just that by providing data that are used to calculate Leaf Area Index (LAI). LAI is a measurement of green leaf area in broadleaf tree canopies and needle surface area in coniferous tree canopies. This data visualization shows the changes in tree canopy cover over the conterminous United States from January 1, 2015 to September 29, 2016, using 8-day, 500 meter resolution Terra/Aqua combined MODIS Version 6 LAI data (MCD15A2H). These data are archived and distributed by NASA’s Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center (LP DAAC), located at the U.S. Geological Survey’s Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center. LP DAAC: https://lpdaac.usgs.gov Terra/Aqua MODIS LAI, 8-day data: https://doi.org/10.5067/MODIS/MCD15A2H.006