Effects of solar angle on reflectance from wetland vegetation
A hand-held radiometer was used to gather spectral data from wetland vegetation canopies to determine the effects of solar angle on reflectance. The reflectance of leafless and gramineous canopies was highly dependent on solar angle, while broadleaf canopy reflectance was not. The solar angle effects are quantified, and a method to compensate for differences in solar angle at the time of collection of spectral data is described. It was found that adjusting spectral data for solar angle effects substantially improved remote sensing estimates of biomass.