Superior National Forest Leaf Optical Properties 1983-1984

Spectral reflectance and transmittance data were collected for wavelengths between 0.35 and 2.1 micrometers from boreal forest canopy samples. The dataset, produced by NASA Johnson Space Center, includes measurements from needles, leaves, branches, moss, and litter gathered during the summers of 1983 and 1984. It provides averages to Thematic Mapper Simulator bands for modeling canopy reflectance patterns.

Use Cases

• Calibrating remote sensing models using spectral reflectance averages for TMS bands.
• Comparing optical properties across boreal forest species like needles, leaves, and moss.
• Analyzing variability of spectral characteristics within a single plant species.
• Studying forest canopy components' interaction with solar radiation from 0.35 to 2.1 micrometers.

Strengths

• Data covers a specific spectral range from 0.35 to 2.1 micrometers using a Cary-14 radiometer.
• Includes multiple boreal forest canopy components: needles, leaves, branches, moss, and litter.
• Explicitly designed to measure intra-species variability in optical properties.

Limitations

• Exact row count and column names are unknown from all sources.
• Sources conflict on last updated date: one lists 1984-08-14, another lists 2026-03-12.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Johnson Space Center.

Collection Method

Samples collected in Superior National Forest, Minnesota; spectral analysis performed with a Cary-14 radiometer.

Time Range

Summers of 1983 and 1984.

Freshness

Data collection occurred in 1983-1984, though metadata shows a platform update in 2026.

Geography

Superior National Forest, Minnesota, USA.