Mapping the irradiance field of a single tree: quantifying vegetation-induced adjacency effects

Imaging spectroscopy is frequently used to assess traits and functioning of vegetated ecosystems. Applied reflectance- and radiance-based approaches critically rely on accurate estimates of surface irradiance. Accurate retrievals of surface irradiance are, however, nontrivial and often error-prone, thus causing inaccurate estimates of vegetation information. We analyze the irradiance field surrounding an isolated tree using the 3-D radiative transfer model DART in high spatial (25 cm) and spectral (1 nm, 350–2500 nm) resolution. We validate modeled irradiance with in situ measurements and quantify the impact of erroneous surface irradiance estimates on the retrieval of vegetation indices. We observe the irradiance gradients in the cast shadows of