Investigation of LITE spectral surface returns for a new vegetation index which is insensitive to solar measurement geometry and has synoptic atmospheric data

Many vegetation indices have been proposed in the literature to maximize vegetation signals while reducing external influences such as atmosphere, soil background, surface bidirectional properties, and other sources of uncertainty. However, existing vegetation indices computed from passive radiometric measurements are still sensitive to those external effects, especially to the illumination source and the atmospheric conditions. The Lidar In-space Technology Experiment (LITE), the first NASA spaceborne atmospheric lidar, yielded data on atmospheric aerosols and surface reflectance. The authors consider the IR (1064 nm) and the green (532 nm) channels of LITE for a vegetation index. Some advantages of an active measurement are the ability to make measurements with or without the Sun, the insensitivity to solar measurement geometry, and the added synoptic atmospheric measurements provided by the lidar to aid in the reduction of atmospheric influences.