A consistent 28 year record of FAPAR - ClimAfrica WP1

A consistent and harmonized product of satellite observed fraction of absorbed photosynthetically active radiation (FAPAR). FAPAR is a biophysical variable that indicates the state and health of the vegetation. This data set provides monthly FAPAR from 1982 until 2010 at global scale and for the African continent. The construction of the data set made use of existing products from AVHRR, SeaWiFS and MERIS satellite sensors. This data set has been produced in the framework of the "Climate change predictions in Sub-Saharan Africa: impacts and adaptations (ClimAfrica)" project, Work Package 1 (WP1). WP1 (Past climate variability) aimed to provide consolidated data to other WPs in ClimAfrica, and to analyze the interactions between climate variability, water availability and ecosystem productivity of Sub-Saharan Africa. Various data streams that diagnose the variability of the climate, in particular the water cycle, and the productivity of ecosystems in the past decades, have been collected, analyzed and synthesized. The data streams range from ground-based observations and satellite remote sensing to model simulations. More information on ClimAfrica project is provided in the Supplemental Information section of this metadata.