Cuba, N; Rogan, J; Christman, Z; Williams, CA; Schneider, LC; Lawrence, D; Millones, M (2013). Modelling dry season deciduousness in Mexican Yucatan forest using MODIS EVI data (2000-2011). GISCIENCE & REMOTE SENSING, 50(1), 26-49.

Abstract
This study maps interannual variation in the spatial extent of deciduousness in the dry tropical forests of the southern Yucatan (Mexico) from 2000 to 2011 using seasonal variability thresholds based on Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) data and relates deciduousness to precipitation- and temperature-derived climate variables using linear regressions. The annual occurrence of deciduousness is most frequently observed in forests located in a regional rain shadow at moderate elevations. Regression results suggest that deciduousness is more strongly associated with atypically hot conditions (+2 degrees C; R-2 = 0.44) than with atypically dry conditions (R-2 = 0.19), in contrast to other phenological processes (e.g. leaf growth, peak productivity) driven primarily by precipitation.

DOI:

ISSN:
1548-1603