This study reports on the first attempt to use cloud boundary and optical depth retrievals from the GLAS lidar to assess the accuracy of cloud-top heights obtained with MODIS (onboard NASA-TERRA and AQUA) and SEVIRI (onboard METEOSAT-8). Over the period from 25 September to 18 November 2003, MODIS-GLAS coincidences were only found in the Polar Regions, whilst SEVIRI-GLAS coincidences were avail...

Spaceborne laser altimetry waveform estimates of canopy Gap Fraction (GF) vary with respect to discrete return airborne equivalents due to their greater sensitivity to reflectance differences between canopy and ground surfaces resulting from differences in footprint size, energy thresholding, noise characteristics and sampling geometry. Applying scaling factors to either the ground or canopy po...

The estimation of forest biomass by remote sensing is constrained different uncertainties. An important source uncertainty the border effect, as tree crowns are not plot borders. Lidar systems record canopy height within a certain area, while ground-truth commonly aboveground inventory trees geolocated at their stem positions. Hence, reaching out or into observed area contributing to in canopy-...