Anisotropic reflectance effects on spectral indices for estimating ecophysiological parameters using a portable goniometer system

Remote sensing studies are affected by the inherently anisotropic nature of reflectance from natural surfaces. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of anisotropic reflectance on the 970 nm water band index (WBI) for Pleurozium schreberi moss from the Fluxnet Canada Western Peatland site in northern Alberta. A series of hyperspectral bidirectional reflectance measurements from the University of Lethbridge Goniometer System (ULGS-I) were assessed for their effect on a variety of WBI and NDVI spectral indices. These indices are often used to estimate ecophysiological parameters such as plant water content, pigment content, and leaf area and subsequently have the potential to contribute to estimates of ecosystem CO2 flux across large regions. Estimates of the bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) from laboratory ULGS-I measurements of P. schreberi moss were made under controlled illumination conditions from which WBI and NDVI were computed to evaluate the variation in index magnitude by view direction. As view angle increased from nadir, WBI declined dramatically from 1.40 to 1.24, and NDVI values changed from 0.87 to 0.96. This finding increases our understanding of the effect of anisotropic reflectance on vegetation indices and enhances our ability to derive improved information from remote sensing data when these angular effects are prevalent for different surface targets.

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