Hyperspectral remote sensing of vegetation bioparameters

Abstract

This chapter focuses on a review of hyperspectral remote sensing techniques for extraction and assessment of plant biophysical and biochemical parameters. Ecology and the study of terrestrial vegetation are important application fields for hyperspectral remote sensing. Therefore, besides classification and identification of vegetation types, in terrestrial ecosystem study, hyperspectral remote sensing can be applied to the estimation of biochemical and biophysical parameters and to the evaluation of ecosystem functions. Optical remote sensing, especially hyperspectral remote sensing, is aimed at retrieving the spectral characteristics of leaves, quantified by leaf area index, specific leaf area, and cross-correlogram, which are determined by the internal biochemical structure and pigments content of leaves. In the context of the remote sensing of bioparameters, physically based models have been used in the forward mode to calculate leaf or canopy reflectance and transmittance and in the inversion mode to estimate leaf or canopy chemical and physical properties.