Leaf Area Index and PAR Measurements from UNL Light Bar (1987-1989)

Nebraska field data contains Leaf Area Index and Photosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR) measurements collected during 1987, 1988, and 1989. Incoming, reflected, and transmitted PAR were measured with a LI-COR LI-191SA line quantum sensor, with absorbed and intercepted PAR derived from these readings. The research aimed to characterize reflectance, estimate albedo, and analyze flux variability related to topography, vegetation, management, plant water status, and sun angle.

Use Cases

• Calibrating satellite-derived vegetation indices using ground-measured Leaf Area Index.
• Modeling light interception and canopy photosynthesis with absorbed and intercepted PAR columns.
• Analyzing the influence of topography and management practices on surface reflectance factors.
• Studying seasonal and interannual variability in vegetation biophysical properties from 1987-1989 time series.
• Investigating the relationship between plant water status and spectral reflectance measurements.

Strengths

• Data collection spans three consecutive growing seasons (1987, 1988, 1989), providing temporal depth.
• Measurements were taken with a specific, documented instrument (LI-COR LI-191SA line quantum sensor).
• Research objectives are clearly defined, focusing on multiple environmental drivers of radiation fluxes.

Limitations

• Column names and exact row counts are unknown across all platform sources.
• Conflicting last updated dates: one source lists 1989-10-31, others list 2026-03-13, indicating potential metadata inconsistency.

Provenance

Source

ORNL_CLOUD organization, associated with NASA EarthData and Data.gov platforms.

Collection Method

Field measurements using a LI-COR LI-191SA line quantum sensor to record incoming, reflected, and transmitted PAR, with LAI and calculated absorbed/intercepted PAR.

Time Range

1987 to 1989

Freshness

2026-03-13 01:22:28.817269

Geography

Nebraska (implied by UNL - University of Nebraska-Lincoln).