Bidirectional properties and utilizations of high‐resolution spectra from a semiarid watershed

A ground‐ and air‐based high spectral resolution data set was collected during the summer Monsoon '90 experiment at the Walnut Gulch experimental watershed in southeastern Arizona for the purpose of (1) characterizing solar and view angle interactions on dry and wet season canopy spectra, and (2) exploring the use of multidirectional measurements to infer vegetation properties for semiarid watershed studies. Bidirectional reflectance factors were measured up to 40° off nadir with a spectroradiometer over a semidesert grassland site. High‐spectral resolution aircraft data were collected over grass and desert shrub sites in order to investigate scaling effects. In this study, solar and view angle effects and interactions on canopy spectra varied with spectral wavelength as well as between dry and wet seasons. The solar zenith angle modified the view angle behavior of the bidirectional reflectance factors. In general, view angle influences and spectral signature contrasts were greatest at the larger solar zenith angles and similarly, Sun angle influences were more apparent at the larger view zenith angle. The scale dependency of the data was relatively minor. The bidirectional measurements were sufficiently characterized by a physically based bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) model. The parameters retrieved from the inversion of the BRDF model corresponded with observed vegetation variations.