Photon transport in dense plant canopies
With the main challenges in the numerical solution of the neutron transport equation having largely been met (i.e., multidimensional geometries, full matrix scattering, time dependence, etc.), numerical transport specialists have sought new applications with new transport equations. One such application is radiative transfer associated with satellite remote sensing for environmental monitoring. To reliably apply remote sensing techniques to obtain information about plant coverings (called plant canopies), an understanding of how radiant energy interacts with the elements of the plant canopy is essential. For example, in the investigation of the photosynthesis process and leaf respiration, plant physiologists are primarily concerned with the complex biochemistry driven by radiant energy in the visible portion of the sun`s spectrum. The agronomist, on the other hand, is concerned with how the features of the canopy influence the biochemical processes to promote photosynthesis. For both applications, knowledge of the amount photosynthesis. For both applications, knowledge of the amount of radiant energy input and the amount and wavelength spectrum of the reflected radiant energy is required. Currently, there are several approaches leading to estimates of the canopy reflectance (the angular response at the canopy surface), and one common formulation is the solution to the appropriate radiative transfer equation. The solution to the radiative transfer equation is complicated by the complexity of photon scattering interaction. In this paper, the solution to the one-angle radiative transfer equation for a dense canopy, with leaves assumed to scatter as Lambertian surfaces, is solved using a technique originally applied to the conventional radiative transfer equation.
- OSTI ID:
- 75949
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-940602--
- Journal Information:
- Transactions of the American Nuclear Society, Journal Name: Transactions of the American Nuclear Society Vol. 70; ISSN 0003-018X; ISSN TANSAO
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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