Explore using units in calculations with the Leaf Area Index (LAI). LAI is a ratio that describes the number of square meters of leaves per square meter of available land surface. Because of the units in the ratio, it is dimensionless

Explore using units for calculations with Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). NDVI is a ratio of different light wavelength reflectance which can be used to map the density of green vegetation.

The fires in Greece during the summer of 2007 devastated large tracks of forest and ground cover in this Mediterranean region. Students analyze these data to determine the scale, area, and percentage of the forest impacted by of these fires.

Students can interact with NASA data to build a custom visualizations of of local, regional, or global plant growth patterns over time.  Use the Earth System Data Explorer to generate plots of satellite data as you develop models of this phenomenon.

See the following datasets in the Earth System Data Explorer:

• Monthly Leaf Area Index
• Monthly Normalized Difference Vegetation Index

Whether naturally occurring or set by humans, fires' effects reach far beyond ravaged lands. Combining satellite observations of fires with a computer model reveals the fires also affect air quality, health, and climate.

Review the animation showing seasonal chlorophyll concentration as it relates to net radiation.

Students observe monthly images of changing vegetation patterns, looking for seasonal changes occurring throughout 2017.

Analyze these Landsat images of Atlanta, Georgia to explore the relationship between surface temperature and vegetation.

In this mini lesson, students explore the relationship of chlorophyll and solar radiation by analyzing line graphs from the North Atlantic during 2016-2018.