Remotely Measured Terrestrial Chlorophyll Fluorescence Using Airborne G-LiHT and APFS Sensors

In September 2014 the Goddard Lidar, Hyperspectral and Thermal (G-LiHT) and the APL/JHU Airborne Plant Fluorescence Sensor (APFS) were flown together on a NASA Langley King Air over vegetated targets in North Carolina and Virginia. The instruments provided high spatial and spectral resolution data in the visible and near infrared, down-welling irradiance, elevation maps, and thermal imagery. Ground validation data was also collected concurrently. Here we report the results of these measurements and show the feasibility of using these types of instruments for collection the fluorescence and other information essential for ecological and carbon cycle studies.