From leaf to scene: scaling problems in remote sensing of vegetation

Some important spatial scaling issues associated with remote sensing of vegetation are addressed. These include estimation of leaf optical properties and canopy parameters such as LAI, land cover and vegetation type from reflectances of a scene. Based on a relationship between canopy architecture and canopy reflectance, the authors discuss why the above goals are easier to achieve for a homogeneous canopy/scene and very difficult for a heterogeneous one. Some preliminary thoughts on new algorithms which may succeed for the heterogeneous scene are presented