CAR ECO3D BRDF Measurements: Forest Reflectance from Boreal to Tropical Wetlands

NASA's 2011 ECO-3D mission captured bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) measurements over diverse forests. The CAR instrument aboard the NASA P-3 aircraft collected this data, which is directly traceable to satellite missions like MODIS, MISR, and ICESat-2. This data set provides critical observations for understanding vegetation 3D structure and its response to climate and management.

Use Cases

• Modeling vegetation carbon storage based on 3D structure measurements.
• Analyzing vegetation response to climate change based on reflectance data across forest biomes.
• Calibrating satellite-derived reflectance products from MODIS or MISR based on in-situ airborne measurements.
• Studying the impact of storm frequency or management practices on forest reflectance properties.

Strengths

• Data is directly traceable to major satellite missions (MODIS, MISR, ICESat-2).
• Covers a wide geographic range from Quebec to Southern Florida.
• Includes diverse forest types from Boreal to tropical wetlands.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data may reflect geographic and temporal bias inherent to the 2011 airborne campaign.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Airborne measurements obtained with the CAR instrument aboard the NASA P-3 aircraft during the ECO-3D mission.

Time Range

2011

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 06:16:18.659886; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Forest sites ranging from Quebec to Southern Florida, covering Boreal to tropical wetlands.