Abstract
A Monte Carlo-based three-dimensional radiative transfer model has been developed to describe the reflection and scattering of solar radiation within a spatially heterogeneous plant canopy. In the model the plant canopy is considered as a group of trees with a similar spatial structure, modeled using fractal geometry. The architecture of an individual tree is described using its height, the number and length of branches of different orders, the angle of inclination of the branches, and the number of leaves. To describe the spatial patterns of solar radiation within a non-uniform plant canopy, the contribution of each model ‘‘photon’’ is calculated in the model taking its interaction and possible multiple reflection on vegetation elements and the soil surface based on the Lambert’s law into account. Possible directions of photon propagation were determined according to the 9th order Gauss-Markov quadrature formulas. The results of numerical experiments for the case of the solar radiation interaction with an individual tree have shown that the model adequately describes the spatial heterogeneity of reflected and transmitted direct solar radiation.
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