SE-590 Leaf Optical Prop. Data (FIFE)

The purpose in collecting SE590 leaf reflectance and transmittance data was to characterize the optical properties of the canopy components to gain a better understanding of how these optical properties contribute to canopy reflection and absorption of radiation.

To measure the reflectance and transmittance of leaf surfaces an integrating sphere was used. The integrating sphere collected all of the radiation reflected from or transmitted through a surface. These data are the average spectral optical properties (i.e., reflectance, transmittance) and the standard deviations for the three dominant species found on each of three sites: 916 (i.e., Big Bluestem, Indiangrass, and Switchgrass), 906 (i.e., Big Bluestem, Indiangrass, and Switchgrass), and 26 (i.e., Big Bluestem, Lovegrass and Dropseed) during late July and early August, 1989.