Abstract

The remote sensing of foliar biochemical concentration assumes that leaf biochemical absorption features will be manifest in canopy reflectance. This is a reasonable assumption providing the effect of a given change in foliar biochemical concentration has a similar effect on both leaf and canopy reflectance. A comparison between canopy and leaf reflectance was made to determine if canopy effects (composite of leaf area index, biomass, structure, multiple scattering and shadow) could alter the leaf biochemical information in canopy reflectance spectra. Differences in leaf biochemical concentrations and leaf biomass were induced by the application of fertilisers to large plots of slash pine (Pinus elliottii var elliottii) in Florida, U.S.A. The reflectance of plot canopies was measured using the Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS). The reflectance of samples of leaves drawn from each plot were measured using a laboratory spectrometer. The differences between airborne and laboratory reflectance ratios (fertilised/control spectra) were used to isolate the effects of the canopy in AVIRIS reflectance spectra. From this study it was concluded that the canopy influenced leaf reflectance substantially at wavelengths beyond the water absorption feature at 1400nrn and leaf biochemical information was transmitted virtually unchanged from the leaf to the canopy in near-infrared wavelengths.