scholarly journals Quantitative Evaluation of Leaf Inclination Angle Distribution on Leaf Area Index Retrieval of Coniferous Canopies

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Guangjian Yan ◽  
Hailan Jiang ◽  
Jinghui Luo ◽  
Xihan Mu ◽  
Fan Li ◽  
...  

Both leaf inclination angle distribution (LAD) and leaf area index (LAI) dominate optical remote sensing signals. The G-function, which is a function of LAD and remote sensing geometry, is often set to 0.5 in the LAI retrieval of coniferous canopies even though this assumption is only valid for spherical LAD. Large uncertainties are thus introduced. However, because numerous tiny leaves grow on conifers, it is nearly impossible to quantitatively evaluate such uncertainties in LAI retrieval. In this study, we proposed a method to characterize the possible change of G-function of coniferous canopies as well as its effect on LAI retrieval. Specifically, a Multi-Directional Imager (MDI) was developed to capture stereo images of the branches, and the needles were reconstructed. The accuracy of the inclination angles calculated from the reconstructed needles was high. Moreover, we analyzed whether a spherical distribution is a valid assumption for coniferous canopies by calculating the possible range of the G-function from the measured LADs of branches of Larch and Spruce and the true G-functions of other species from some existing inventory data and three-dimensional (3D) tree models. Results show that the constant G assumption introduces large errors in LAI retrieval, which could be as large as 53% in the zenithal viewing direction used by spaceborne LiDAR. As a result, accurate LAD estimation is recommended. In the absence of such data, our results show that a viewing zenith angle between 45 and 65 degrees is a good choice, at which the errors of LAI retrieval caused by the spherical assumption will be less than 10% for coniferous canopies.

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 123-134
Author(s):  
Zhenqi Fan ◽  
◽  
Lixin Zhang

Based on Ross’s theory of optical radiation transmission and full consideration of influences of vertical distribution of canopy leaf area and leaf inclination angle distribution of colored cotton on the light distribution, the Gaussian 5-point distance was used to divide the canopy into 5 layers on basis of the leaf area index. The leaf inclination angle on each layer was divided into 6 equal parts by 15°. The types of radiation in canopy, spatial distribution of light radiation, as well as diurnal variation with solar hour angles were quantified in detail. After comprehensively considering influences of temperature, physiological age and other factors on photosynthesis and respiration, the canopy light distribution, photosynthetic production and dry matter accumulation of colored cotton were simulated with strong mechanistic and physiological & ecological significance. The colored cotton samples sown on April 16, 2019 were used to verify the model. The RMSEs of simulated and measured canopy PAR values at Beijing time 10:00, 12:00, 14:00 and 16:00 on July 30 were 58.2, 64.1, 43.4 and 39.7 µmol•m-2•s-1, respectively. The RMSE of simulated and observed values of the dry matter accumulation above ground was 412.6 kgDM•hm-2, reflecting the good predictability of the model.


2013 ◽  
Vol 15 (5) ◽  
pp. 734 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yang LIU ◽  
Ronggao LIU ◽  
Jingming CHEN ◽  
Xiao CHENG ◽  
Guang ZHENG

2012 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 98-113 ◽  
Author(s):  
Conghe Song

Forests are the most complex terrestrial ecosystem on Earth’s land surface, providing vital goods and services upon which the welfare of humanity depends. The quantification of leaves and biomass in forests is critical for understanding the ecological role of forests in the terrestrial ecosystem. Great effort has been dedicated to the mapping of leaf area and biomass using remotely sensed data. This review focuses on the use of optical remote sensing in mapping leaf area index (LAI) and aboveground biomass for forests. Significant progress has been made in mapping LAI in the past few decades. Mapping of LAI started with location-specific empirical approaches and evolved to semi-empirical and biophysical approaches, which can be applied globally. Although there are some biases in the current LAI products, it can be expected that better-quality LAI products will be delivered in the future. At present, mapping biomass remains predominantly empirical because there is no direct physical relationship between reflected energy in visible, near or mid infrared wavelengths and biomass. Mapping biomass relies on the explicit or implicit mapping of forest structural parameters that are related to biomass allometrically. Although optical images have been successfully used in mapping biomass in low biomass areas, it remains a challenge to map biomass in forested areas with high biomass density due to signal saturation.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 1427
Author(s):  
Kasturi Devi Kanniah ◽  
Chuen Siang Kang ◽  
Sahadev Sharma ◽  
A. Aldrie Amir

Mangrove is classified as an important ecosystem along the shorelines of tropical and subtropical landmasses, which are being degraded at an alarming rate despite numerous international treaties having been agreed. Iskandar Malaysia (IM) is a fast-growing economic region in southern Peninsular Malaysia, where three Ramsar Sites are located. Since the beginning of the 21st century (2000–2019), a total loss of 2907.29 ha of mangrove area has been estimated based on medium-high resolution remote sensing data. This corresponds to an annual loss rate of 1.12%, which is higher than the world mangrove depletion rate. The causes of mangrove loss were identified as land conversion to urban, plantations, and aquaculture activities, where large mangrove areas were shattered into many smaller patches. Fragmentation analysis over the mangrove area shows a reduction in the mean patch size (from 105 ha to 27 ha) and an increase in the number of mangrove patches (130 to 402), edge, and shape complexity, where smaller and isolated mangrove patches were found to be related to the rapid development of IM region. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectro-radiometer (MODIS) Leaf Area Index (LAI) and Gross Primary Productivity (GPP) products were used to inspect the impact of fragmentation on the mangrove ecosystem process. The mean LAI and GPP of mangrove areas that had not undergone any land cover changes over the years showed an increase from 3.03 to 3.55 (LAI) and 5.81 g C m−2 to 6.73 g C m−2 (GPP), highlighting the ability of the mangrove forest to assimilate CO2 when it is not disturbed. Similarly, GPP also increased over the gained areas (from 1.88 g C m−2 to 2.78 g C m−2). Meanwhile, areas that lost mangroves, but replaced them with oil palm, had decreased mean LAI from 2.99 to 2.62. In fragmented mangrove patches an increase in GPP was recorded, and this could be due to the smaller patches (<9 ha) and their edge effects where abundance of solar radiation along the edges of the patches may increase productivity. The impact on GPP due to fragmentation is found to rely on the type of land transformation and patch characteristics (size, edge, and shape complexity). The preservation of mangrove forests in a rapidly developing region such as IM is vital to ensure ecosystem, ecology, environment, and biodiversity conservation, in addition to providing economical revenue and supporting human activities.


2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 763 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manuel Campos-Taberner ◽  
Francisco García-Haro ◽  
Lorenzo Busetto ◽  
Luigi Ranghetti ◽  
Beatriz Martínez ◽  
...  

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