AUTHOR=Zolles Anita , Schueler Silvio , Gartner Karl , Scheifinger Gartner TITLE=Continuous Parameterization of Leaf Area Index and Phenological Phases Within Deciduous Forests Based on Temperature Measurements JOURNAL=Frontiers in Forests and Global Change VOLUME=4 YEAR=2021 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/forests-and-global-change/articles/10.3389/ffgc.2021.768085 DOI=10.3389/ffgc.2021.768085 ISSN=2624-893X ABSTRACT=
The Leaf-Area-Index (LAI) is commonly used to characterize the plant canopy and is a fundamental indication of plant vitality and photosynthetic activity. The forest health status is not only vital for economical reasons, but also has a significant impact on global carbon sequestration. The LAI has a highly dynamic character among deciduous forests and is prone to significant seasonal fluctuations. Accurate continuous LAI measurements do provide valuable information on growth characteristics, but they require considerable measurement effort. In this study, we tested a novel method that would allow for continuous low-effort LAI parameterizations. For our study we used temperature measurements from 2011 to 2019 obtained at two meteorological stations: Station one is an open land station, station two is located inside a forest stand characterized by European beech (measurements were undertaken as part of the ICP Forests program), both are located in Klausen Leopoldsdorf (Austria). We chose the difference in daily maximum temperature between the two sites for our LAI parametrization (