Forest Canopy LAI and Vertical FAVD Profile Inversion from Airborne Full Waveform LiDAR Data Based on a Radiative Transfer Model

Forest Canopy LAI and Vertical FAVD Profile Inversion from Airborne Full Waveform LiDAR Data Based on a Radiative Transfer Model
– Han Ma, Jinling Song and Jindi Wang
Abstract:
Forest canopy leaf area index (LAI) is a critical variable for the modeling of climates and ecosystems over both regional and global scales. This paper proposes a physically based method to retrieve LAI and foliage area volume density (FAVD) profile directly from full waveform Light Detection And Ranging (LiDAR) data using a radiative transfer (RT) model. First, a physical interaction model between LiDAR and a forest scene was built on the basis of radiative transfer theories. Next, FAVD profile of each laser shot of full waveform LiDAR was inverted using the physical model.
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