The reflection for dense plant canopies from the one-angle radiative transfer equation

With the main challenges in the numerical solution of the neutral particle transport equation having largely been met, numerical transport specialists have sought new applications with new transport equations. One such application is radiative transfer associated with satellite remote sensing for environmental monitoring. To reliably apply remote sensing techniques to obtain information about plant canopies, an understanding of how radiant energy interacts with the elements of the plant canopy is essential. The amount of radiant energy input and the amount and wavelength spectrum of the reflected radiant energy are required. Currently, there are several approaches leading to estimates of the canopy reflectance (the angular response at the canopy surface) with one common formulation being the solution to the appropriate radiative transfer equation. The solution to the radiative transfer equation is complicated by the complexity of the photon scattering interaction. In this article the solution to the one-angle radiative transfer equation for a dense canopy, with leaves assumed to scatter as Lambertian surfaces, is solved using a technique originally applied to the conventional radiative transfer equation.<>