Comparison of MODIS fPAR Products with Landsat-5 TM-Derived fPAR over Semiarid Rangelands of Idaho

While validation of the MODIS fPAR product is well behind that of the LAI product, it is recently receiving more attention. In this study, MODIS fPAR and Landsat-5 TM-derived fPAR (TM fPAR) were calculated and quantitatively compared using imagery from 2005 to 2008 for the semiarid rangelands of Idaho, USA. fPAR change maps were calculated between active growth and late-summer senescence periods. Accuracy of the MODIS fPAR and TM fPAR were determined indirectly by incorporating field-based measurements of above-ground forage biomass and percent ground cover from a variety of sites (n = 442).