Hyperspectral remote sensing of plant traits

Background/Question/Methods:  Relationships between conventional plant functional types (PFT^(c)), described by growth form and phenology, and physiologically important leaf and canopy traits (pigments, water, leaf thickness, longevity, etc.) are poorly understood.  We address the remotely sensed detection of leaf and canopy traits and whether clusters of co-occurring traits can be used to define PFT^(c).  

Results/Conclusions:  Leaf traits and leaf reflectance were measured (wetlands, shrublands, woodlands, and forests) to identify remotely sensed relationships and these were applied to NASA airborne AVIRIS data collected in three seasons 2013. Results show that biochemical and structural traits related to physiological functioning are retrieved from remote sensing data.