Vegetation moisture, also called vegetation water content, is defined as the quantity or ratio of water within the canopy. This is the difference between the fresh and dry matter weight.
Vegetation water content is an important variable as it reflects vegetation health. Water is a limiting component in various biogeochemical processes, such as photosynthesis, evaporation and net primary production (NPP). As a consequence, vegetation with higher water content are likely to grow faster. Moreover, the higher the water content, the higher the resistance against fire is. Assessing vegetation water content is thus useful to fully understand and monitor the ecosystem functioning and the vegetation health.
Vegetation moisture can be estimated by ground measurements (see here) or through satellite/airborne sensors.
Unit: g/m2
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