Abstract
This study sought to develop a method that effectively uses multi-spectral data to estimate photosynthesis. Information from multi-spectral data was concentrated in a vegetation index based on pattern decomposition (VIPD). In particular, we investigated the relationship between VIPD from multi-spectral data and the lightphotosynthesis curve of a leaf or tree crown. To examine this relationship, we measured the light-photosynthesis curve and the reflectance of leaves and whole crowns of three plant species. We then developed a method to estimate photosynthesis using the VIPD and confirmed that estimated photosynthesis approximated measured photosynthesis. The VIPD-based photosynthesis model was found to be both simple and useful for estimating gross photosynthesis. Broad-scale distribution of net primary production (NPP) can be obtained by applying this method to remotelysensed data by satellite or airborne.
