544
such that if it were removed the community structure and ecosystem function
would change drastically.
Kriging A class of methods for spatial interpolation that use statistical approaches
to estimate a continuous surface from known points with measured values.
Lambertian Reflecting light equally in all directions, independent of viewing
angle. See also isotropy.
Land cover stratification A process that segments and groups land based on land
cover types, land use types, and/or percent cover; usually a combination of two
or all three. Stratification is often used to identify land classes (e.g., managed/
non-managed forest areas or cultivated/uncultivated crop areas) for subsequent
analyses such as biomass or biodiversity inventories.
Landscape A geographically defined land area that can be viewed at one time
from one place that may encompass multiple ecosystems interacting through
the movement of species, energy, and matter. A landscape is generally described
by physical and biological features such as topography and patterns of vegetation cover.
Laser echo A reflection of light as recorded by a LiDAR instrument, the ranging
part of a laser scanning system. It has the attribute range (i.e., distance of object
from LiDAR instrument) and can have additional attributes such as energy and
echo width, which are derived from the recorded full- waveform information.
Laser light sheet A laser beam focused in a single direction.
Laser pulse The pulse emitted by a LiDAR instrument. It has the properties of
length (i.e., duration), shape, and energy.
Laser scanning, airborne LiDAR mounted on an airborne platform with a scanner deflecting the beam across the swath, while differential GPS and inertial navigation systems provide location and orientation of the measurement platform.
It is capable of providing several hundred thousand 3-D locations of reflecting
objects per second with decimetric accuracy.
Laser scanning, terrestrial LiDAR on a nonmoving terrestrial platform.
Scanning is performed by deflecting the laser pulse through rotation of the
instrument along two axes (azimuth and elevation), covering a (hemi)sphere.
Latent heat flux Flux of energy due to phase changes, i.e., evapotranspiration and
condensation (contrast to sensible heat flux).
Leaf anatomy The microscopic structure of a leaf, including the arrangement and
size of cells, air spaces, and the intra- and extracellular components of the leaf.
Leaf area index (LAI) The one-sided area of leaves divided by the subtending
area on the ground surface.
Leaf economic spectrum (LES) The concept formalized in Wright et al. (2004)
that leaf traits of plants are coordinated and correlated—given biophysical and
ecological trade-offs in how resources can be used and deployed for plant function—such that they constrain the variation in leaves among species to a single
axis of variation that ranges from “fast” acquisitive traits to “slow” stress tolerance traits associated with leaf construction costs. Leaf mass per area (LMA) is
an easy-to-measure proxy for the entire spectrum that represents the variation in
leaf life span, the original theoretical basis for trade-offs in carbon and nutrient
allocation across the spectrum.
Glossary
such that if it were removed the community structure and ecosystem function
would change drastically.
Kriging A class of methods for spatial interpolation that use statistical approaches
to estimate a continuous surface from known points with measured values.
Lambertian Reflecting light equally in all directions, independent of viewing
angle. See also isotropy.
Land cover stratification A process that segments and groups land based on land
cover types, land use types, and/or percent cover; usually a combination of two
or all three. Stratification is often used to identify land classes (e.g., managed/
non-managed forest areas or cultivated/uncultivated crop areas) for subsequent
analyses such as biomass or biodiversity inventories.
Landscape A geographically defined land area that can be viewed at one time
from one place that may encompass multiple ecosystems interacting through
the movement of species, energy, and matter. A landscape is generally described
by physical and biological features such as topography and patterns of vegetation cover.
Laser echo A reflection of light as recorded by a LiDAR instrument, the ranging
part of a laser scanning system. It has the attribute range (i.e., distance of object
from LiDAR instrument) and can have additional attributes such as energy and
echo width, which are derived from the recorded full- waveform information.
Laser light sheet A laser beam focused in a single direction.
Laser pulse The pulse emitted by a LiDAR instrument. It has the properties of
length (i.e., duration), shape, and energy.
Laser scanning, airborne LiDAR mounted on an airborne platform with a scanner deflecting the beam across the swath, while differential GPS and inertial navigation systems provide location and orientation of the measurement platform.
It is capable of providing several hundred thousand 3-D locations of reflecting
objects per second with decimetric accuracy.
Laser scanning, terrestrial LiDAR on a nonmoving terrestrial platform.
Scanning is performed by deflecting the laser pulse through rotation of the
instrument along two axes (azimuth and elevation), covering a (hemi)sphere.
Latent heat flux Flux of energy due to phase changes, i.e., evapotranspiration and
condensation (contrast to sensible heat flux).
Leaf anatomy The microscopic structure of a leaf, including the arrangement and
size of cells, air spaces, and the intra- and extracellular components of the leaf.
Leaf area index (LAI) The one-sided area of leaves divided by the subtending
area on the ground surface.
Leaf economic spectrum (LES) The concept formalized in Wright et al. (2004)
that leaf traits of plants are coordinated and correlated—given biophysical and
ecological trade-offs in how resources can be used and deployed for plant function—such that they constrain the variation in leaves among species to a single
axis of variation that ranges from “fast” acquisitive traits to “slow” stress tolerance traits associated with leaf construction costs. Leaf mass per area (LMA) is
an easy-to-measure proxy for the entire spectrum that represents the variation in
leaf life span, the original theoretical basis for trade-offs in carbon and nutrient
allocation across the spectrum.
Glossary