Leaf Optical Properties

Plant leaves collectively represent the largest above-ground surface area of plant material in virtually all environments. Their optical properties determine where and how energy and gas exchange occurs, which in turn drives the energy budget of the planet, and defines its ecology and habitability. This book reviews the state-of-the-art research on leaf optics. Topics covered include leaf traits, the anatomy and structure of leaves, leaf colour, biophysics and spectroscopy, radiometry, radiative transfer models, and remote and proximal sensing. A physical approach is emphasised throughout, providing the necessary foundations in physics, chemistry and biology to make the context accessible to readers from various subject backgrounds. It is a valuable resource for advanced students, researchers and government agency practitioners in remote sensing, plant physiology, ecology, resource management and conservation.

1. A brief history of leaf colour; 2. Leaf biophysics; 3. Spectroscopy of leaf molecules; 4. Measurement of leaf optical properties; 5. Leaf optical properties in different wavelength domains; 6. Variation due to leaf structural, chemical and physiological traits; 7. Variation due to leaf abiotic and biotic factors; 8. Comprehensive reviews of leaf optical properties models; 9. Modeling leaf optical properties: prospect; 10. Modeling three-dimensional leaf optical properties: raytran; 11. Extraction of leaf traits; 12. Applications; Conclusion; References; Index.

Stéphane Jacquemoud is Professor of Remote Sensing at the University of Paris. He has held positions in the Department of Physics (1995–2004), and the Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences (2004 to today). He currently works at the Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris. His research focuses on remote sensing of natural surfaces in the visible/infrared domain, and its applications in geophysics, the environment and exobiology.
Susan Ustin is Distinguished Professor of Environmental Resource Science at the University of California, Davis. Her research focuses on the detection of plant health and plant identification to better understand the functioning and composition of ecosystems using imaging spectroscopy. She received an Honorary Doctorate from the Universität Zürich in 2012, and became a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union in 2017.