Accurate solution of the SAIL model by leaf inclination angle calculation based on laser point clouds

The canopy radiative transfer model enables quantitative inversion of vegetation biophysical parameters by rapidly simulating spectral information. However, structural input parameters, such as the leaf inclination angle distribution (LAD), are often set to empirical values in classic models, leading to simulation errors. Laser point cloud technology has developed rapidly in recent years, and the 3D structure of vegetation can be detailed using laser sensors and processing software, providing the necessary conditions for accurate solutions of radiative transfer models of the canopy. However, the mechanisms for improving existing models of canopy radiative transfer by introducing laser point clouds have not yet been theoretically analyzed in detail. In this study, a precise solution was proposed by incorporating the accurate LAD obtained from laser point clouds into the intermediate function of the traditional Scattering by Arbitrarily Inclined Leaves (SAIL) model, which is a widely used multiangle radiative transfer model. The calculation of the leaf inclination angle and the derivation of the improved model were detailed in this paper. Experiments from different observation angles and bands compared the similarity between the actual measured spectra and the simulated spectra for both the traditional SAIL model and the proposed model with accurate structural parameters. The overall similarity of the proposed model with respect to the conventional SAIL model was improved, indicating that introducing laser point clouds improved the simulation accuracy. The proposed model achieved more significant improvements in the blue 450 nm and red 670 nm bands. Moreover, the similarity improvements differed between different angles. Finally, we analyzed the sensitivity of the structural parameters of the SAIL model and the proposed model using local and global sensitivity analysis methods.