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Bridging scales in vegetation phenology using near-surface and satellite data

Nature Reviews Earth & Environment volume 7, page 5 (2026)Cite this article

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Plant phenology defines when leaves appear, develop, and fall, but these patterns vary with scale and context. Some ecosystems display synchronized seasonal phenological cycles strongly modulated by environmental drivers, while others exhibit asynchronous timing shaped by species’ ecological strategies, leading to a mixed and broader seasonal rhythm. This complexity also makes it difficult to monitor plant activity consistently. Satellites can monitor large areas and provide an overview of seasonal change, but they blend signals from all plants in their view, blurring the unique phenological cycles of each species. Near-surface digital cameras — phenocams — capture detailed leaf cycles of individual plants or small patches of an ecosystem but have limited spatial coverage.

Bridging phenocams with satellites offers a powerful lens to track how vegetation responds in a changing world — from canopy to space. This approach has improved the detection of key phenological transitions and advanced understanding of leaf phenology in different ecosystems. It also contributes to understanding how coexisting plant functional types shape landscape-scale phenological patterns, offering new insights for ecosystem monitoring.

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Acknowledgements

This study was financed, in part, by the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP), Brazil, Process Number #2022/01746-5 and #2023/02386-5, and by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior – Brasil (CAPES) – Finance Code 001. The author acknowledges the support of the e-phenology project (Brazil), which provided access to the tower equipped with a phenocam (photo).

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  1. Remote Sensing Postgraduate Program (PGSER), Coordination for Education, Research and Outreach (COEPE), Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research (INPE), São José dos Campos, São Paulo, Brazil

    Andeise C. Dutra

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  1. Andeise C. Dutra
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Correspondence to Andeise C. Dutra.

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Dutra, A.C. Bridging scales in vegetation phenology using near-surface and satellite data. Nat Rev Earth Environ 7, 5 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43017-025-00738-y

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