Spectral reflectance in the near-infrared(NIR) shoulder(750-900 nm) region is affected by internal leaf structure, but it has rarely been investigated. In this study, a dehydration treatment and three paraquat herbicide applications were conducted to explore how spectral reflectance and shape in the NIR shoulder region responded to various stresses. A new spectral ratio index in the NIR shoulder region(NSRI), defined by a simple ratio of reflectance at 890 nm to refl ectance at 780 nm, was proposed for assessing leaf structure deterioration. Firstly, a wavelength-independent increase in spectral reflectance in the NIR shoulder region was observed from the mature leaves with slight dehydration. An increase in spectral slope in the NIR shoulder would be expected only when water stress developed suffi ciently to cause severe leaf dehydration resulting in an alteration in cell structure. Secondly, the alteration of leaf cell structure caused by Paraquat herbicide applications resulted in a wavelength-dependent variation of spectral reflectance in the NIR shoulder region. The NSRI in the NIR shoulder region increased significantly under an herbicide application. Although the dehydration process also occurred with the herbicide injury, NSRI is more sensitive to herbicide injury than the water-related indices(water index and normalized difference water index) and normalized difference vegetation index. Finally, the sensitivity of NSRI to stripe rust in winter wheat was examined, yielding a determination coefficient of 0.61, which is more signifi cant than normalized difference vegetation index(NDVI), water index(WI) and normalized difference water index(NDWI), with a determination coefficient of 0.45, 0.36 and 0.13, respectively. In this study, all experimental results demonstrated that NSRI will increase with internal leaf structure deterioration, and it is also a sensitive spectral index for herbicide injury or stripe rust in winter wheat.
LIU Liang-yunHUANG Wen-jiangPU Rui-liangWANG Ji-hua
Current researches based on areal or spaceborne stereo images with very high resolutions(<1 m)have demonstrated that it is possible to derive vegetation height from stereo images.The second version of the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer Global Digital Elevation Model(ASTER GDEM)is the state-of-the-art global elevation data-set developed by stereo images.However,the resolution of ASTER stereo images(15 m)is much coarser than areal stereo images,and the ASTER GDEM is compiled products from stereo images acquired over 10 years.The forest disturbances as well as forest growth are inevitable in 10 years time span.In this study,the features of ASTER GDEM over vegetated areas under both flat and mountainous conditions were investigated by comparisons with lidar data.The factors possibly affecting the extraction of vegetation canopy height considered include(1)co-registration of DEMs;(2)spatial resolution of digital elevation models(DEMs);(3)spatial vegetation structure;and(4)terrain slope.The results show that the accurate coregistration between ASTER GDEM and national elevation dataset(NED)is necessary over mountainous areas.The correlation between ASTER GDEM minus NED and vegetation canopy height is improved from 0.328 to 0.43 by degrading resolutions from 1 arc-second to 5 arc-second and further improved to 0.6 if only homogenous vegetated areas were considered.
Satellite-based remote sensed phenology has been widely used to assess global climate change.However,it is constrained by uncertain linkages with photo-synthesis activity.Two dynamic threshold methods were employed to retrieve spring phenology metrics from four Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectro-radiometer(MODIS)products,including fraction of Absorbed Photosyntheti-cally Active Radiation(fAPAR),Leaf Area Index(LAI),Normalized Difference Vegetation Index(NDVI),and Enhanced Vegetation Index(EVI)for three temperate deciduous broadleaf forests in North America between 2001 and 2009.These MODIS-based spring phenology metrics were subsequently linked to the photosynthetic curves(daily gross primary productivity,GPP)measured by an eddy covariance flux tower.The 20% dynamic threshold spring onset metrics from MODIS products were closer to the photosynthesis onset metrics at the date of 2% GPP increase for NDVI and fAPAR,and closer to the date of 5%and 10% increase of GPP for EVI and LAI,respectively.The 50% dynamic threshold onset metrics were closer to the photosynthesis onset metrics at the date of 10%GPP increase for NDVI,and closer to the date of 20% GPP increase for fAPAR,LAI and EVI,respectively.These results can improve our knowledge on the photosynthesis activity status of remotely sensed spring phenology metrics.
