A complex geometric model for describing the 3D structure of plant canopies is presented. The Botanical Plant Modelling System (BPMS) allows a complete (topologically accurate) 3D geometric description of a canopy to be constructed. The model can be used for simulating the optical scattered radiation field of plant canopies, soil, or other topography through Monte Carlo ray tracing, which provi...

The forest canopy harbors a diverse assemblage of plants of many different growth habits. The reproductive parts of tall trees, many epiphytes, and lianas may exist only in the upper canopy. Access to these upper regions is essential to identify canopy plants and to collect and document voucher specimens for a particular forest region. The majority of botanists, however, have relied on collecti...

Spatially distributed information on canopy parameters is an important input to precision agriculture. Remote sensing data, and especially high-resolution hyperspectral data of sensors such as the multi-directional satellite-sensor CHRIS or the airborne spectrometer AVIS provide such information. In order to derive the canopy parameters leaf area index and fraction of mature material as well as...

The concept of canopy spectral invariants expresses the observation that simple algebraic combinations of leaf and canopy spectral reflectance become wavelength independent and determine two canopy structure specific variables – the recollision and escape probabilities. These variables specify an accurate relationship between the spectral response of a vegetation canopy to incident solar radiat...

A first-return laser rangefinder deployed from a low-flying helicopter provided inexpensive, repeatable, and high-resolution measurements of the shape of the outer forest canopy in stands of four successional stages on the Maryland coastal plain. The traces of canopy height in these stands revealed structural characteristics such as cover, maximum and mean heights which were consistent with cor...

Seagrasses serve an important function in the ecology of Florida Bay, providing critical nursery habitat and a food source for a variety of organisms. They also create significant benthic structure that induces drag, altering local hydrodynamics that can influence mixing and nutrient dynamics. Thalassia testudinum seagrass meadows were investigated to determine how shoot density and morphometri...

Canopy height is a key variable in tropical forest functioning and for regional carbon inventories. We investigate the spatial structure of the canopy height of a tropical forest, its relationship with environmental physical covariates, and the implication for tropical forest height variation mapping. Making use of high-resolution maps of LiDAR-derived Digital Canopy Model (DCM) and environment...

Canopy interception plays an important role in determining the amount of rainfall reaching the forest floor. During a rainfall event, water either penetrates the canopy falling directly to the understory of the forest floor, or is intercepted by the canopy. From there it can drip to the ground surface, flow down tree stems, or be held and evaporated. The portion that falls directly to the groun...

The concept of canopy spectral invariants expresses the observation that simple algebraic combinations of leaf and canopy spectral reflectance become wavelength independent and determine two canopy structure specific variables – the recollision and escape probabilities. These variables specify an accurate relationship between the spectral response of a vegetation canopy to incident solar radiat...