Articles | Volume 23, issue 5
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-23-1949-2026
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-23-1949-2026
Research article
 | 
12 Mar 2026
Research article |  | 12 Mar 2026

Litter vs. Lens: Evaluating LAI from Litter Traps and Hemispherical Photos Across View Zenith Angles and Leaf Fall Phases

Simon Lotz, Teja Kattenborn, Julian Frey, Salim Soltani, Anna Göritz, Tom Jaksztat, and Negin Katal

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Cited articles

Badea, O.: Further development and implementation of an EU-level forest monitoring system, 126, 3–10, ISSN 2067-1962 1583-7890, 2011. a
Baret, F., de Solan, B., Lopez-Lozano, R., Ma, K., and Weiss, M.: GAI estimates of row crops from downward looking digital photos taken perpendicular to rows at 57.5 zenith angle: Theoretical considerations based on 3D architecture models and application to wheat crops, Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, 150, 1393–1401, 2010. a
Bates, D., Mächler, M., Bolker, B., and Walker, S.: Fitting linear mixed-effects models using lme4, Journal of Statistical Software, 67, 1–48, 2015. a
Bonan, G. B.: Forests and climate change: forcings, feedbacks, and the climate benefits of forests, Science, 320, 1444–1449, 2008. a
Bréda, N. J.: Ground-based measurements of leaf area index: a review of methods, instruments and current controversies, Journal of Experimental Botany, 54, 2403–2417, 2003. a, b, c, d, e
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Digital hemispherical photography(DHP) is a valuable tool for monitoring leaf area index(LAI), a key factor in ecosystem productivity and climate interactions. We compared DHP with litter traps in a temperate forest and found that at a view zenith angle around 20°, both methods aligned best. We applied a calibration model to assess site variability which significantly improved accuracy. Our findings enhance the reliability of ground-based LAI monitoring, supporting better ecosystem assessments.
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