Abstract

Remote sensing of Leaf Area Index (LAI) and the fraction of absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fPAR) by the foliar canopy form the basis for monitoring vegetation health and productivity over vast land areas. LAI (defined as hemisurface area of leaves per unit of horizontal ground surface area, m2/m2) and fPAR have direct impact on radiative transfer of plant canopies and they belong to a group of Essential Climate Variables (GCOS 2012). Information on the Above Ground Biomass (AGB) is especially of interest for operational forest management and planning. In this study data from Landsat 8 and LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) were used to estimate LAI, fPAR and AGB in the Calhoun Critical Zone Observatory (CZO) area. At present it is not clear which vegetation indices are best in estimating temperate forest fPAR and LAI in Calhoun research site. Nor is it known how much AGB is contained by these forests. The aims of this study were to find out: 1) Which vegetation indices are best correlated with LAI and fPAR at the peak growing season? 2) How good are LiDAR derived metrics in estimating forest canopy gap fraction and LAI, and 3) which LiDAR metrics are the most important in estimating AGB in Calhoun forests?

Citation

Majasalmi, T., Palmroth, S., Cook, W., Brecheisen, Z., Richter, D. (2015): Estimation of LAI, fPAR and AGB based on data from Landsat 8 and LiDAR at the Calhoun CZO. Calhoun CZO 2015 Summer Science Meeting.