Surface albedo of boreal conifer forests: modeling and measurements

A geometric-optical and radiative transfer (GORT) approach for modeling the radiation regime within plant canopies is used to predict the temporal variation of albedo of boreal conifer forests. The model prediction of daily surface albedo during the winter and summer seasons is validated using field measurements in one sparse old jack pine forest stand and one dense old black spruce forest stand in the northern study areas of BOREAS in 1995 with good accuracy. In particular, the model was able to predict the “W” shape for albedo over the course of the day over the sparse old jack pine forest stand during the snow season. The model validation indicates that the GORT model was able to capture the effects of the canopy structure (mainly the vegetation coverage) and the background (snow versus no snow) on the surface albedo over boreal forests. This is important for the sensitive study of the global climate response to deforestation in high latitude regions