FIFE (Field Instrumented Field Experiment)
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| FIFE (Field Instrumented Field Experiment) | |
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| Name | FIFE (Field Instrumented Field Experiment) |
| Start | 1987 |
| End | 1989 |
| Location | Konza Prairie Biological Station |
| Coordinators | NASA |
| Fields | Micrometeorology, Remote Sensing, Ecology |
FIFE (Field Instrumented Field Experiment) was a large-scale, multi-year land-surface and atmosphere observation campaign conducted in the late 1980s to improve understanding of surface-atmosphere interactions, remote sensing validation, and ecosystem modeling. The project integrated in situ measurements, aircraft campaigns, and satellite observations to reconcile ground-based fluxes with remotely sensed signatures over temperate grassland. FIFE served as a model for subsequent multidisciplinary experiments linking field ecology, atmospheric science, and Earth observation.
Introduction
FIFE was organized to bridge gaps among NASA, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Geological Survey, European Space Agency, and academic partners including University of Kansas, Kansas State University, University of Arizona, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The experiment combined expertise from researchers associated with Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Colorado State University, and University of California, Berkeley. FIFE featured coordinated campaigns timed with overpasses of satellites such as Landsat, Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer, and later sensors used by ERS-1 programs, with aircraft support from groups similar to NASA Ames Research Center and Langley Research Center.
Background and Objectives
Motivated by uncertainties in land-surface parameterization in global and regional models, FIFE aimed to quantify energy, water, and carbon exchanges over heterogeneous terrain represented by the Konza Prairie Biological Station and to validate remote sensing retrievals of vegetation state. Principal objectives aligned with initiatives by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme, and agency-driven programs at NASA Headquarters to improve parameterization for coupled climate and biosphere models used at institutions like National Center for Atmospheric Research, Princeton University, and Columbia University. FIFE also sought to support development of retrieval algorithms relevant to missions coordinated with European Space Research and Technology Centre and operational systems used by National Aeronautics and Space Administration field campaigns.
Experimental Design and Instrumentation
The experiment employed eddy-covariance towers, Bowen-ratio systems, soil measurement arrays, and surface radiometers deployed by teams from University of Minnesota, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Pennsylvania State University, and Oregon State University. Aircraft platforms from organizations resembling NASA Dryden Flight Research Center carried multispectral scanners, flux packages, and LIDAR-like sensors provided by laboratories such as Jet Propulsion Laboratory and California Institute of Technology. Instrument suites included pyranometers, infrared radiometers, and microwave radiometers developed in collaboration with groups at Harvard University, Brown University, and University of Washington. Coordination involved logistics and data protocols informed by earlier experiments like First ISLSCP Field Experiment and concepts from Global Energy and Water Cycle Experiment.
Site and Environmental Context
FIFE's primary site, the Konza Prairie Biological Station, lies within the Flint Hills region near Manhattan, Kansas and provided a heterogeneous mosaic of tallgrass prairie, burned plots, and differing topography. The site selection reflected comparisons to other observatories such as H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest, Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, and Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve. Climatic drivers included continental air mass influences tracked by synoptic analysis centers like National Weather Service and modeled in studies from NOAA Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory and European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts. Vegetation dynamics were contextualized with references to work at Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and prairie ecology programs at Kansas State University.
Data Collection and Measurement Methods
FIFE implemented standardized measurement protocols for flux tower operation, soil moisture probes, and leaf area index estimation used by research groups at University of Arizona and University of Maryland. Aircraft missions synchronized with satellite overpasses collected spectroradiometric, thermal, and microwave observations; these efforts were comparable to campaigns organized by National Aeronautics and Space Administration and U.S. Department of Energy. Data assimilation efforts leveraged modeling systems from National Center for Atmospheric Research and retrieval algorithms developed in collaboration with Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Goddard Space Flight Center. Quality control and intercomparison exercises involved laboratories at Argonne National Laboratory and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
Key Findings and Scientific Contributions
FIFE yielded critical insights into the spatial and temporal variability of surface energy balance components, sensible and latent heat flux partitioning, and relationships between spectral vegetation indices and biophysical parameters such as leaf area index and canopy conductance. Results influenced parameterization schemes in models used at NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, NOAA Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory, and European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts. Findings informed satellite validation strategies for missions led by Landsat Project Science Office, National Aeronautics and Space Administration remote sensing programs, and science teams at Jet Propulsion Laboratory. FIFE publications shaped subsequent field experiments including projects supported by National Science Foundation and international efforts coordinated by International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme.
Legacy, Data Availability, and Applications
The FIFE dataset became a legacy resource for studies in micrometeorology, ecosystem modeling, and remote sensing algorithm development used by researchers at Princeton University, Stanford University, and University of California, Los Angeles. Data archiving practices influenced standards at National Snow and Ice Data Center and Oak Ridge National Laboratory and enabled reuse in land-surface model intercomparison projects and climate model evaluation at Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Applications extended to agricultural monitoring programs, ecological forecasting at institutions like USDA Agricultural Research Service, and the design of later satellite missions involving NASA and European Space Agency collaborations.
Category:Field experiments Category:Remote sensing