Abstract
Photosynthetically active radiation (PAR; 0.40–0.70 μm) is a key driver in ecosystem biochemical processes, and thus a critical factor in agriculture productivity, ecosystem-atmosphere energy, and CO2 fluxes. There is however a dearth of PAR measurements in many regions. Therefore, this paper proposed to estimate and analyze the spatiotemporal distribution characteristics of PAR on zonal and seasonal scales at 22 sites representing four different tropical ecosystems (savannah, transition, forest, and coastal) in Ghana, using long-term sunshine duration measurements and satellite-based climatological reanalysis datasets spanning 1981–2010. It is shown that a generalized factor of 0.45, which varies between 0.40 and 0.60 annually, estimated PAR to a good approximation for all selected sites, with indices of agreement between 0.94 and 0.99. The satellite and estimated PAR have a mean low of 7.90 ± 0.50 and 7.37 ± 0.70 MJm−2 day−1 during the June–July–August season respectively, and a mean high of 8.90 ± 0.43 and 9.10 ± 0.40 MJm−2 day−1 during the March–April–May season respectively, largely associated with seasonal atmospheric conditions owing to dust and water vapor. The mean residual error in PAR estimation is 0.01 ± 0.36 with the most seasonal variations in the dry and wet seasons. The study provides theoretical and practical insights for forest management and ecosystem preservation over the sub-region.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Acosta D, Doran PT, Myers M (2020) GIS tool to predict photosynthetically active radiation in a Dry valley. Antarct Sci 32:315–328. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954102020000218
Amekudzi LK, Yamba EI, Preko K, Asare EO, Aryee J, Baidu M, Codjoe SN (2015) Variabilities in rainfall onset, cessation and length of rainy season for the various agro-ecological zones of Ghana. Climate 3:416–434. https://doi.org/10.3390/cli3020416
Asilevi PJ, Quansah E, Amekudzi LK, Annor T, Klutse NAB (2019) Modeling the spatial distribution of Global Solar Radiation (GSR) over Ghana using the Ångström-Prescott sunshine duration model. Sci Afr 4:e00094. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sciaf.2019.e00094
Bai J, Chen X, Dobermann A, Yang H, Cassman KG, Zhang F (2010) Evaluation of NASA satellite-and model-derived weather data for simulation of maize yield potential in China. J Agron 102:9–16. https://doi.org/10.2134/agronj2009.0085
Cai W, Yuan W, Liang S, Zhang X, Dong W, **a J, Fu Y, Chen Y, Liu D, Zhang Q (2014) Improved estimations of gross primary production using satellite-derived photosynthetically active radiation. J Geophys Res Biogeosci 119:110–123. https://doi.org/10.1002/2013JG002456
Danso DK, Anquetin S, Diedhiou A, Lavaysse C, Kobea A, Touré NDE (2019) Spatio-temporal variability of cloud cover types in West Africa with satellite-based and reanalysis data. Q J R Meteorol Soc 725:3715–3731. https://doi.org/10.1002/qj.3651
Droogers P, Allen RG (2002) Estimating reference evapotranspiration under inaccurate data conditions. Irrig Drain Syst 16(1):33–45. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1015508322413
Du S, Liu L, Liu X, Hu J (2017) Response of canopy solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence to the absorbed photosynthetically active radiation absorbed by chlorophyll. Remote Sens 9(9):911. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs9090911
Etuk SE, Agbasi OE, Samuel NC (2016) Modelling and estimating photosynthetically active radiation from measured global solar radiation at Calabar, Nigeria. Phys Sci Int J 2016:1–12. https://doi.org/10.9734/PSIJ/2016/28446
Ferrera-Cobos F, Vindel JM, Valenzuela RX, González JA (2020) Models for estimating daily photosynthetically active radiation in oceanic and Mediterranean climates and their improvement by site adaptation techniques. Adv Space Res 65:1894–1909. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asr.2020.01.018
Gardea MMAN, Martínez LFC, Morales MA, Schiaffino GT, Peimbert DPS (2021) Modeling photosynthetically active radiation: a review. Atmósfera 34:357–370. https://doi.org/10.20937/ATM.52737
Gitelson AA, Peng Y, Arkebauer TJ, Suyker AE (2015) Productivity, absorbed photosynthetically active radiation, and light use efficiency in crops: implications for remote sensing of crop primary production. J Plant Physiol 177:100–109. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jplph.2014.12.015
Gitelson A, Arkebauer T, Viña A, Skakun S, Inoue Y (2021) Evaluating plant photosynthetic traits via absorption coefficient in the photosynthetically active radiation region. Remote Sens Environ 258:112401. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2021.112401
Habyarimana E, Piccard I, Catellani M, De Franceschi P, Dall’Agata M (2019) Towards predictive modeling of sorghum biomass yields using fraction of absorbed photosynthetically active radiation derived from sentinel-2 satellite imagery and supervised machine learning techniques. Agronomy 9:203. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy9040203
Howarth JF, Durako MJ (2013) Diurnal variation in chlorophyll fluorescence of Thalassia testudinum seedlings in response to controlled salinity and light conditions. Mar Biol 160:591–605. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-012-2115-2
Klein C, Heinzeller D, Bliefernicht J, Kunstmann H (2015) Variability of West African monsoon patterns generated by a WRF multi-physics ensemble. Clim Dyn 45:2733–2755. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-015-2505-5
Lacombe G, McCartney M, Forkuor G (2012) Drying climate in Ghana over the period 1960–2005: evidence from the resampling-based Mann-Kendall test at local and regional levels. Hydrol Sci J 57(8):1594–1609. https://doi.org/10.1080/02626667.2012.728291
Li R, Zhao L, Ding Y, Wang S, Ji G, **ao Y, Liu G, Sun L (2010) Monthly ratios of PAR to global solar radiation measured at northern Tibetan Plateau, China. Sol Energy 84:964–973. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solener.2010.03.005
Li W, Fang H, Wei S, Weiss M, Baret F (2021) Critical analysis of methods to estimate the fraction of absorbed or intercepted photosynthetically active radiation from ground measurements: application to rice crops. Agric For Meteorol 297:108273. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agrformet.2020.108273
Manzanas R, Amekudzi LK, Preko K, Herrera S, Gutiérrez JM (2014) Precipitation variability and trends in Ghana: an intercomparison of observational and reanalysis products. Clim Change 124:805–819. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-014-1100-9
Mizoguchi Y, Yasuda Y, Ohtani Y, Watanabe T, Kominami Y, Yamanoi K (2014) A practical model to estimate photosynthetically active radiation using general meteorological elements in a temperate humid area and comparison among models. Theor Appl Climatol 115:583–589. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00704-013-0912-2
Ohde T, Siegel H (2012) Impacts of Saharan dust and clouds on photosynthetically available radiation in the area off Northwest Africa. Tellus B Chem Phys Meteorol 64:17160. https://doi.org/10.3402/tellusb.v64i0.17160
Ojeda JJ, Volenec JJ, Brouder SM, Caviglia OP, Agnusdei MG (2017) Evaluation of agricultural production systems simulator as yield predictor of Panicum virgatum and Miscanthus × giganteus in several US environments. Global Change Biol Bioenergy 9:796–816. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcbb.12384
Pereira HR, Meschiatti MC, Pires RCDM, Blain GC (2018) On the performance of three indices of agreement: an easy-to-use r-code for calculating the Willmott indices. Bragantia 77:394–403. https://doi.org/10.1590/1678-4499.2017054
Qin J, Yang K, Liang S, Tang W (2012) Estimation of daily mean photosynthetically active radiation under all-sky conditions based on relative sunshine data. J Appl Meteorol Climtol 51:150–160. https://doi.org/10.1175/jamc-d-10-05018.1
Rutan DA, Kato S, Doelling DR, Rose FG, Nguyen LT, Caldwell TE, Loeb NG (2015) CERES synoptic product: methodology and validation of surface radiant flux. J Atmos Ocean Technol 32(6):1121–1143. https://doi.org/10.1175/JTECH-D-14-00165.1
Savary S, Nelson A, Willocquet L, Pangga I, Aunario J (2012) Modeling and map** potential epidemics of rice diseases globally. Crop Prot 34:6–17. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cropro.2011.11.009
Su W, Charlock TP, Rose FG, Rutan D (2007) Photosynthetically active radiation from Clouds and the Earth’s Radiant Energy System (CERES) products. J Geophys Res Biogeosci 112:G02022. https://doi.org/10.1029/2006JG000290
Tserenpurev BO, Shinoda M, Tsubo M (2012) Effects of cloud, atmospheric water vapor, and dust on photosynthetically active radiation and total solar radiation in a Mongolian grassland. J Arid Land 4:349–356. https://doi.org/10.3724/SP.J.1227.2012.00349
Tsubo M, Walker S (2005) Relationships between photosynthetically active radiation and clearness index at Bloemfontein, South Africa. Theor Appl Climatol 80(1):17–25. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00704-004-0080-5
Udo SO, Aro TO (1999) Global PAR related to global solar radiation for central Nigeria. Agric For Meteorol 97:21–31. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0168-1923(99)00055-6
Ullah H, Santiago-Arenas R, Ferdous Z, Attia A, Datta A (2019) Improving water use efficiency, nitrogen use efficiency, and radiation use efficiency in field crops under drought stress: a review. Adv Agron 156:109–157. https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.agron.2019.02.002
Wang D, Liang S, Zhang Y, Gao X, Brown MG, Jia A (2020) A new set of MODIS land products (MCD18): downward shortwave radiation and photosynthetically active radiation. Remote Sens 12:168. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs12010168
Wu C, Chen JM, Huang N (2011) Predicting gross primary production from the enhanced vegetation index and photosynthetically active radiation: evaluation and calibration. Remote Sens Environ 115:3424–3435. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2011.08.006
Yuan HY, Saha S, Vandenberg A, Bett KE (2017) Flowering and growth responses of cultivated lentil and wild Lens germplasm toward the differences in red to far-red ratio and photosynthetically active radiation. Front Plant Sci 8:386. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2017.00386
Zhang T, Chandler WS, Hoell JM, Westberg D, Whitlock, CH, Stackhouse PW (2008) A global perspective on renewable energy resources: NASA’s prediction of worldwide energy resources (power) project. In: Proceedings of ISES World Congress 2007, Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg, pp 2636–2640. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-75997-3_532
Zhu X, He H, Liu M, Yu G, Sun X, Gao Y (2010) Spatio-temporal variation of photosynthetically active radiation in China in recent 50 years. J Geogr Sci 20:803–817. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11442-010-0812-7
Acknowledgements
We are thankful for the NASA POWER PAR climatological reanalysis dataset obtained from the NASA Langley Research Center POWER Project funded through the NASA Earth Science Directorate Applied Science Program. We also thank the Ghana Meteorological Agency for providing the observed daily sunshine duration dataset.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest regarding the publication of this paper.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Junior, P.A., Quansah, E. & Dogbey, F. Satellite-based estimates of photosynthetically active radiation for tropical ecosystems in Ghana—West Africa. Trop Ecol 63, 615–625 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42965-022-00234-0
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42965-022-00234-0