This is a two year collaborative project between Alan H. Strahler of Boston University and scientists from three institutes of the Chinese Academy of Sciences: the Institute of Remote Sensing Application in Beijing; the Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics in Changchun, Jilin Province; and the Jilin Institute of Geography and its Jingyuetan Remote Sensing Experimental Site in Changchun. The project is sponsored by NSF and the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The proposed study will develop models that will enable remotely sensed images of forest and crop canopies to be measured and evaluated more effectively. The modeling activities will be conducted in the United States and the radiometric measurements made in China at the Jingyuetan site. The net effect of the proposed research will be to test an important class of models for the interaction of plant canopies with light that emphasizes the geometric, three.dimensional nature of the canopy. The expertise and equipment available at the Jingyuetan site provide a unique opportunity to validate these canopy models, which have been under development during the past several years. If they prove sufficiently accurate, these models could supplement or supplant other models in ecosystem studies, agricultural monitoring activities, and remote sensing applications.
