Earth Data School
About
Full catalog/Leaf_Photosynthesis_Traits_1224
Leaf_Photosynthesis_Traits_1224·v1·dataset

Global measurements of how leaves photosynthesize

A Global Data Set of Leaf Photosynthetic Rates, Leaf N and P, and Specific Leaf Area
biosphere NASA ORNL_CLOUD Level 3 CSV
In plain English

What it measures. A global collection of measurements of how leaves carry out photosynthesis, along with leaf nitrogen, phosphorus, and leaf area, covering 325 species-and-treatment combinations.

How it's made. Compiled from a broad review of published scientific literature rather than from a satellite; it gathers and standardizes existing field and experimental measurements into a single spreadsheet.

How & where you'd use it. Helps scientists explore how leaf chemistry relates to photosynthesis and improve the carbon-cycle models that depend on these plant traits. Provided as a single CSV file.

What's measured

BIOSPHERE › VEGETATION › PLANT CHARACTERISTICSBIOSPHERE › VEGETATION › PHOSPHORUSBIOSPHERE › VEGETATION › NUTRIENTSBIOSPHERE › VEGETATION › NITROGENBIOSPHERE › VEGETATION › LEAF CHARACTERISTICS

Coverage & cadence

  • Time span1993-01-01 → 2010-12-31
  • Measured byNOT APPLICABLE (NOT APPLICABLE)
  • Processing levelLevel 3
  • Spatial extent-122.4, -43.2, 176.13, 58.42
  • FormatsCSV
  • StatusCOMPLETE

What you can do with it

  • Map vegetation, forests and biomass
  • Monitor ecosystem productivity and carbon
  • Support habitat and biodiversity studies
Official description

This global data set of photosynthetic rates and leaf nutrient traits was compiled from a comprehensive literature review. It includes estimates of Vcmax (maximum rate of carboxylation), Jmax (maximum rate of electron transport), leaf nitrogen content (N), leaf phosphorus content (P), and specific leaf area (SLA) data from both experimental and ambient field conditions, for a total of 325 species and treatment combinations. Both the original published Vcmax and Jmax values as well as estimates at standard temperature are reported. The maximum rate of carboxylation (Vcmax) and the maximum rate of electron transport (Jmax) are primary determinants of photosynthetic rates in plants, and modeled carbon fluxes are highly sensitive to these parameters. Previous studies have shown that Vcmax and Jmax correlate with leaf nitrogen across species and regions, and locally across species with leaf phosphorus and specific leaf area, yet no universal relationship suitable for global-scale models is currently available. These data are suitable for exploring the general relationships of Vcmax and Jmax with each other and with leaf N, P and SLA. This data set contains one *.csv file.

Get the data

leaf_photosynthesis_traits_1224_access.py
import earthaccess
earthaccess.login(strategy="netrc")          # free Earthdata Login

results = earthaccess.search_data(
    short_name="Leaf_Photosynthesis_Traits_1224",
    version="1",
    bounding_box=(-122.5, 37.2, -121.8, 37.9),  # your area (W,S,E,N)
    temporal=("2024-01-01", "2024-12-31"),       # your dates
)
files = earthaccess.open(results)   # stream straight from ORNL_CLOUD
Browsing CMR needs no login. Downloading or streaming bytes needs a free Earthdata Login + the earthaccess package.