Yu et al. (2026) Linking Remote Sensing Spectral Signals to Agricultural Decision‐Making via a Novel Agrohydrological Model With Explicit Canopy Radiative Transfer and Plant Physiology

⚠️ Warning: This summary was generated from the abstract only, as the full text was not available.

Identification

• Journal: Water Resources Research
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-11-01
• Authors: Danyang Yu, Yijian Zeng, Yuanyuan Zha, Yunfei Wang, Zengjing Song, Enting Tang, Ying Sun, Yujie Wang A, Zhongbo Su
• DOI: 10.1029/2025wr042075

Research Groups

• Developers of the STEMMUS-SCOPE-PG model
• AmeriFlux network (data providers for US-Bo1 and US-Ne3 sites)

Short Summary

This study developed STEMMUS-SCOPE-PG, a model integrating process-based plant growth into a spectral-hydrological framework, to mechanistically link remote-sensing spectral observations with crop and soil processes for agrohydrological forecasting. The model significantly improved simulations of gross primary productivity and evapotranspiration, and accurately reproduced leaf area index, biomass, and solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence dynamics across maize and soybean sites.

Objective

• To develop a mechanistically linked model (STEMMUS-SCOPE-PG) that integrates process-based plant growth with spectral observations to improve agrohydrological forecasting by constraining key crop and soil variables.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Field sites (US-Bo1 for maize, US-Ne3 for soybean) and satellite observation footprints.
• Temporal Scale: Three years of field data, capturing seasonal dynamics.

Methodology and Data

• Models used:
  • STEMMUS-SCOPE-PG (integrating a process-based plant growth (PG) module into the STEMMUS-SCOPE framework)
  • Original SCOPE model
  • Original STEMMUS-SCOPE model
• Data sources:
  • Three years of field data from AmeriFlux sites (US-Bo1 for maize, US-Ne3 for soybean)
  • MODIS satellite observations
  • TROPOMI satellite observations (for solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF))

Main Results

• STEMMUS-SCOPE-PG accurately reproduced leaf area index (LAI) and biomass across both maize and soybean sites.
• The model captured seasonal solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF) dynamics consistent with TROPOMI observations.
• STEMMUS-SCOPE-PG reduced the mean root mean square error (RMSE) for gross primary productivity (GPP) by 28.8% relative to the original SCOPE and by 28.3% relative to STEMMUS-SCOPE.
• The model reduced the mean RMSE for evapotranspiration (ET) by 15.4% relative to the original SCOPE and by 14.3% relative to STEMMUS-SCOPE.
• A linear relationship was observed between daily LAI change and SIF during vegetative stages.
• A nonlinear relationship was observed between daily LAI change and SIF during reproductive stages, highlighting phenological effects.

Contributions

• Development of STEMMUS-SCOPE-PG, a novel model that mechanistically links remote-sensing spectral observations (e.g., SIF, reflectance) with crop and soil processes through a process-based plant growth module.
• Establishment of bidirectional coupling between spectral signals and hydrological fluxes, allowing dynamic changes in LAI and biomass to be driven by carbon assimilation and soil moisture, which in turn feed back into canopy radiative transfer.
• Significant improvement in the accuracy of GPP and ET simulations compared to existing SCOPE and STEMMUS-SCOPE configurations.
• Revelation of phenology-dependent relationships between daily LAI change and SIF, providing new insights into crop-SIF dynamics.

Funding

Not specified in the abstract.

Citation

@article{Yu2026Linking,
  author = {Yu, Danyang and Zeng, Yijian and Zha, Yuanyuan and Wang, Yunfei and Song, Zengjing and Tang, Enting and Sun, Ying and A, Yujie Wang and Su, Zhongbo},
  title = {Linking Remote Sensing Spectral Signals to Agricultural Decision‐Making via a Novel Agrohydrological Model With Explicit Canopy Radiative Transfer and Plant Physiology},
  journal = {Water Resources Research},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1029/2025wr042075},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1029/2025wr042075}
}