Fig. 2: Environmental drivers, such as vapor pressure deficit (VPD), can modulate distributions of vertical leaf angles. | Communications Earth & Environment

Fig. 2: Environmental drivers, such as vapor pressure deficit (VPD), can modulate distributions of vertical leaf angles.

From: Temporal dynamics in vertical leaf angles can confound vegetation indices widely used in Earth observations

Fig. 2

Changes in leaf angle distributions (left) affect reflectance characteristics of plant canopies (right). The presented data is aggregated from daily leaf angle dynamics at the time of satellite overpass (solar noon) of Prunus avium tracked during a vegetation period in Bad Lauchstädt, Germany. The reflectance data is simulated using radiative transfer models (see “Methods” section). Angles represent a horizontal (0°) and vertical orientation (90°). Note, that leaf angles (here defined as surface angle) typically increase when leaves are hanging.

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