Estimation of global leaf area index and absorbed par using radiative transfer models

Author

Myneni, R.B. ; Ramakrishna, R. ; Nemani, Ramakrishna ; Running, S.W.

Author_Institution

Dept. of Geogr., Boston Univ., MA

Volume

35

Issue

6

fYear

1997

fDate

11/1/1997 12:00:00 AM

Firstpage

1380

Lastpage

1393

Abstract

A simple method for the estimation of global leaf area index (LAI) and fraction of photosynthetically active radiation absorbed by the vegetation (FAPAR) from atmospherically corrected Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) observations is described. Recent improvements to the authors´ three dimensional radiative transfer model of a vegetated surface are described. Example simulation results and a validation exercise are discussed. The model was utilized to derive land cover specific NDVI-LAI and NDVI-FAPAR relations. The method therefore requires stratification of global vegetation into cover types that are compatible with the radiative transfer model. Such a classification based on vegetation structure is proposed and a simple method for its derivation is presented. Proof-of-concept results are given to illustrate the feasibility of the proposed method

Keywords

atmospheric optics; atmospheric radiation; geophysical techniques; radiative transfer; remote sensing; sunlight; LAI; NDVI; Normalized Difference Vegetation Index; PAR; absorbed par; atmosphere; cover type; fraction of photosynthetically active radiation; geophysical measurement technique; global leaf area index; light absorption; light reflection; optical imaging; optics; radiative transfer model; remote sensing; vegetated surface; vegetation mapping; vegetation structure; Atmospheric modeling; Carbon dioxide; Earth Observing System; Helium; Image reconstruction; Land surface; MODIS; Production; Remote sensing; Vegetation mapping;

fLanguage

English

Journal_Title

Geoscience and Remote Sensing, IEEE Transactions on

Publisher

ieee

ISSN

0196-2892

Type

jour

DOI

10.1109/36.649788

Filename

649788