Multi-wavelength canopy LiDAR for remote sensing of vegetation: Design and system performance

A new multi-wavelength canopy LiDAR (MWCL) system intended for the remote sensing of vegetation reflection was designed and its measurement performance was investigated. The system operates with four lasers of different wavelengths chosen according to nitrogen stresses that induce changes in the optical properties and spectral reflectance of rice leaves. The optical design and instrumentation are described in this paper as well as a discussion on system calibration. The MWCL system was demonstrated to possess a high capability of recording the physiology of the canopy, which is not possible when solely employing a traditional single-wavelength LiDAR.