From Dawn to Dusk: High-Resolution Tree Shading Model Based on Terrestrial LiDAR Data

Abstract

Light availability and distribution play an important role in every ecosystem as these affect a variety of ecosystem processes and functions. To estimate light availability and distribution, light simulations can be used. Many previous models were based on highly simplified tree models and geometrical assumptions about tree form, or were sophisticated and computationally demanding models based on 3D data which had to be acquired in every season to be simulated. The aim of this study was to model the shadow cast by individual trees at high spatial and temporal resolution without the need for repeated data collection during multiple seasons. For our approach, we captured trees under leaf-off conditions using terrestrial laser scanning and simulated leaf-on conditions for individual trees over the remainder of the year. The model was validated against light measurements (n=20,436) collected using 60 quantum sensors underneath an apple tree (Malus domestica Borkh.) on a sunny and cloudless summer day. On this day, the leaves and the shadow were simulated with a high spatial (1 cm) and temporal resolution (1 min). The simulated values were highly correlated with the measured radiation at r=0.84. Additionally, we simulated the radiation for a whole year for the sample apple tree (tree height: 6.6 m, crown width: 7.6 m) with a resolution of 10 cm and a temporal resolution of 10 min. Below the tree, an area of 49.55 m² is exposed to a radiation reduction of at least 10%, 17.74 m² to at least 20% and only 0.12 m² to at least 30%. The model could be further improved by incorporating branch growth, curved leaf surfaces, and gravity to take the weight of the foliage into account. The presented approach offers a high potential for modelling the light availability in the surroundings of trees with an unprecedented spatial and temporal resolution.