Penetration of sunlight into a canopy - Explicit models based on vertical and horizontal leaf projections

The projections of leaf areas onto a horizontal plane and onto a vertical plane are examined for their utility in characterizing canopies for sunlight penetration (direct beam only) models. These projections exactly specify the penetration if the projections on the principal plane of the normals to...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Boundary-layer meteorology 1986-09, Vol.36 (4), p.335-349
Main Authors: Otterman, J., Brakke, T.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Convection, turbulence, diffusion. Boundary layer structure and dynamics
Earth Resources And Remote Sensing
Earth, ocean, space
Exact sciences and technology
External geophysics
Meteorology
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Summary:The projections of leaf areas onto a horizontal plane and onto a vertical plane are examined for their utility in characterizing canopies for sunlight penetration (direct beam only) models. These projections exactly specify the penetration if the projections on the principal plane of the normals to the top surfaces of the leaves are in the same quadrant as the sun. Inferring the total leaf area from these projections (and therefore the penetration as a function of the total leaf area) is possible only with a large uncertainty (up to + or - 32 percent) because the projections are a specific measure of the total leaf area only if the leaf angle distribution is known. It is expected that this uncertainty could be reduced to more acceptable levels by making an approximate assessment of whether the zenith angle distribution is that of an extremophile canopy.
ISSN:0006-8314
1573-1472
DOI:10.1007/BF00118336