10-days Leaf Area Index - MSG

Leaf Area Index (LAI) is a dimensionless variable [m2/m2], which defines an important structural property of a plant canopy. LAI is defined as one half the total leaf area per unit ground area (Chen and Black, 1992). It provides complementary information to the FVC, accounting for the surface of leaves contained in a vertical column normalized by its cross-sectional area. It defines thus the area of green vegetation that interacts with solar radiation determining the remote sensing signal, and represents the size of the interface between the vegetation canopy and the atmosphere for energy and mass exchanges. LAI is thus a necessary input for Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP), regional and global climate modelling, weather forecasting and global change monitoring. Besides, the LAI is relevant for Land Biosphere Applications such us agriculture and forestry, environmental management and land use, hydrology, natural hazards monitoring and management, vegetation-soil dynamics monitoring and drought conditions. Improved version to remove biases in South Africa.