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Unlocking ecological insights from sub-seasonal visible-to-shortwave infrared imaging spectroscopy: The SHIFT campaign

K. Dana Chadwick·Frank W. Davis·Kimberley Miner·Ryan Pavlick·Mark Reynolds·Philip A. Townsend·Philip Brodrick·Christiana Ade·Jean Allen·Leander D. L. Anderegg·Yoseline Angel·Indra Boving·Kristin B. Byrd·Petya Campbell·Luke Carberry·Katherine Cavanaugh·Kyle C. Cavanaugh·Kelly Easterday·Regina Eckert·Michelle M. Gierach·Kaitlin Gold·Erin Hestir·Fred Huemmrich·Maggie Klope·Raymond F. Kokaly·Piper Lovegreen·Kelly Luis·Conor McMahon·Nicholas Nidzieko·Francisco Ochoa·Anna Ongjoco·Elsa Ordway·Madeleine Pascolini-Campbell·Natalie Queally·Dar A. Roberts·Clare Saiki·Fabian D Schneider·Alexey N. Shiklomanov·German Silva·Jordan Snyder·Michele Thornton·Anna Trugman·Nidhi Vinod·Ting Zheng·Dulcinea Avouris·Brianna Baker·Latha Baskaran·Tom Bell·Megan Berg·Michael Bernas·Niklas Bohn·Renato Braghiere·Zach Breuer·Andrew J. Brooks·Nolan Burkard·Julia Burmistrova·Kerry-Anne Cawse-Nicholson·John Chapman·Johana Chazaro-Haraksin·Joel Cryer·K.C. Cushman·Kyla M. Dahlin·Phuong Dao·Athena DiBartolo·Michael Eastwood·Clayton D. Elder·Angela Giordani·Kathleen Grant·Robert O. Green·Alexa Hanson·Brendan Heberlein·Mark Helmlinger·Simon Hook·Daniel J. Jensen·Emma Johnson·Marie Johnson·Michael Kiper·Christopher Kibler·Jennifer Y. King·Kyle Kovach·Aaron Kreisberg·Daniel Lacey·Evan Lang·Christine M. Lee·Amanda M Lopez·Brittany Lopez Barreto·Andrew Maguire·Elliott Marsh·Charles E. Miller·Dieu My Nguyen·Cassandra Nickles·Jonathan Ocón·Elijah Papen·Maria Park·Benjamin Poulter·Ann M. Raiho·Porter Reim·Timothy J. Robinson·Fernando Romero Galvan·Ethan Shafron
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Abstract

We stand at the threshold of a transformative era in Earth observation, marked by space-borne visible-to-shortwave infrared (VSWIR) imaging spectrometers that promise consistent global observations of ecosystem function, phenology, and inter- and intra-annual change. However, the full value of repeat spectroscopy, the information embedded within different temporal scales, and the reliability of existing algorithms across diverse ecosystem types and vegetation phenophases have remained elusive due to the absence of suitable sub-seasonal spectroscopy data. In response, the Surface Biology and Geology (SBG) High-Frequency Time Series (SHIFT) campaign was initiated during late February 2022 in Santa Barbara County, California. SHIFT, designed to support NASA's SBG mission, addressed mission scoping, scientific advancement, applications development, and community building. This ambitious endeavor included weekly Airborne Visible InfraRed Imaging Spectrometer-Next Generation (AVIRIS-NG) imagery acquisitions for 13 weeks (spanning February 24 to May 29, 2022), accompanied by coordinated terrestrial vegetation and coastal aquatic data collection. We describe the rich datasets collected and illustrate how the complex sub-seasonal patterns of change can be linked to biological science and applications, surpassing insights from multispectral observations. Leveraging open-source processing methods and cloud-based analysis tools, the SHIFT campaign showcases the readiness of the scientific community to harness ecological insights from remotely sensed hyperspectral time series. We provide an overview of SHIFT's goals, data collections, preliminary results, and the collaborative efforts of early career scientists committed to unlocking the transformative potential of high-frequency time series data from space-borne VSWIR imaging spectrometers.

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K. Dana Chadwick, Frank W. Davis, Kimberley Miner, Ryan Pavlick, Mark Reynolds, Philip A. Townsend, Philip Brodrick, Christiana Ade, Jean Allen, Leander D. L. Anderegg, Yoseline Angel, Indra Boving, Kristin B. Byrd, Petya Campbell, Luke Carberry, Katherine Cavanaugh, Kyle C. Cavanaugh, Kelly Easterday, Regina Eckert, Michelle M. Gierach, Kaitlin Gold, Erin Hestir, Fred Huemmrich, Maggie Klope, Raymond F. Kokaly, Piper Lovegreen, Kelly Luis, Conor McMahon, Nicholas Nidzieko, Francisco Ochoa, Anna Ongjoco, Elsa Ordway, Madeleine Pascolini-Campbell, Natalie Queally, Dar A. Roberts, Clare Saiki, Fabian D Schneider, Alexey N. Shiklomanov, German Silva, Jordan Snyder, Michele Thornton, Anna Trugman, Nidhi Vinod, Ting Zheng, Dulcinea Avouris, Brianna Baker, Latha Baskaran, Tom Bell, Megan Berg, Michael Bernas, Niklas Bohn, Renato Braghiere, Zach Breuer, Andrew J. Brooks, Nolan Burkard, Julia Burmistrova, Kerry-Anne Cawse-Nicholson, John Chapman, Johana Chazaro-Haraksin, Joel Cryer, K.C. Cushman, Kyla M. Dahlin, Phuong Dao, Athena DiBartolo, Michael Eastwood, Clayton D. Elder, Angela Giordani, Kathleen Grant, Robert O. Green, Alexa Hanson, Brendan Heberlein, Mark Helmlinger, Simon Hook, Daniel J. Jensen, Emma Johnson, Marie Johnson, Michael Kiper, Christopher Kibler, Jennifer Y. King, Kyle Kovach, Aaron Kreisberg, Daniel Lacey, Evan Lang, Christine M. Lee, Amanda M Lopez, Brittany Lopez Barreto, Andrew Maguire, Elliott Marsh, Charles E. Miller, Dieu My Nguyen, Cassandra Nickles, Jonathan Ocón, Elijah Papen, Maria Park, Benjamin Poulter, Ann M. Raiho, Porter Reim, Timothy J. Robinson, Fernando Romero Galvan, Ethan Shafron. 2025-03-21. Unlocking ecological insights from sub-seasonal visible-to-shortwave infrared imaging spectroscopy: The SHIFT campaign. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.70194

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