Vegetation Biophysical Data (FIFE)

The Biophysical Properties of the Vegetation Data Set were collected as part of the larger FIFE Science effort to characterize the physical and biological properties of the sites within the FIFE study area over the life of the field experiment. These data were collected at 43 locations scattered throughout the FIFE study area between May 1987 and August 1989. The measurements of leaf area were based on an optical technique in which the area of the light beam obscured by the material under the beam is a measure of the surface area of that material relative to the total surface area that the beam covers. The resulting Leaf Area Indices (LAI) provide a relative measure of leaf area. These indices, when compared between plant samples provide an indirect and relative measure of plant biomass.