10-days Leaf Area Index - Metop

Leaf Area Index (LAI) is a dimensionless variable [m2/m2], which defines an important structural property of a plant canopy. It is defined as half the total area of green elements per unit horizontal ground area accounting for the amount of green vegetation that absorbs or scatters solar radiation. It provides complementary information to the FVC, accounting for the surface of leaves contained in a vertical column normalized by its cross-sectional area. It defines thus the area of green vegetation that interacts with solar radiation determining the remote sensing signal, and represents the size of the interface between the vegetation canopy and the atmosphere for energy and mass exchanges. LAI is thus a necessary input for Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP), regional and global climate modeling, weather forecasting and global change monitoring.