Canopy leaf area

Le résumé fourni par la source

Leaves represent the largest proportion of the total forest canopy surface area and also the main surface for physiologically active exchange with the atmosphere. Processes like photosynthetic light absorption, carbon uptake and assimilation, transpiration of water, and emission of volatile organic compounds are nearly exclusively performed via leaf surfaces, while processes like element deposition, interception of rain, evaporation, and susceptibility to wind damage are in part also dependent on the surface area of woody canopy elements. The increasing need to quantify and simulate such interactions between forest canopies and the atmosphere with models has led to a growing demand for reliable information on the surface area of leaves in the canopy. This manual part provides a guideline for direct measurements as well as indirect assessments of leaf area index (LAI) in the framework of ICP Forests. [...]

Ce résumé expose les affirmations des auteurs. BNTIC ne l’interprète pas comme une validation indépendante des résultats.