Measuring Fractional Cover and Leaf Area Index in Arid Ecosystems: Digital Camera, Radiation Transmittance, and Laser Altimetry Methods

Field measurement of shrubland ecological properties is important for both site monitoring and validation of remote sensing information. During the May 1997 NASA Earth Observing System Jornada Prototype Validation Exercise, we calculated plot-level plant area index, leaf area index, total fractional cover, and green fractional cover with data from four instruments: (1) a Dycam Agricultural Digital Camera (ADC), (2) a LI-COR LAI-2000 plant canopy analyzer, (3) a Decagon sunfleck Ceptometer, and (4) a laser altimeter. Estimates from the LAI-2000 and Ceptometer were very similar (plant area index 0.3, leaf area index 0.22, total fractional cover 0.19, green fractional cover 0.14), while the ADC produced values 5% to 10% higher. Laser altimeter values, depending on the height cutoff used to establish total fractional cover, were either higher or lower than the other instrumentsʹ values: a 10-cm cutoff produced values