Simple Vegetation

Parameter

Description

Alternative Name

Optional field for a secondary name or description of the plant/vegetation type.

CO₂ Fixation Type

Photosynthetic pathway (e.g., C3, C4, CAM). C3 plants (most grasses, trees) are more efficient in cooler, wetter conditions.

Leaf Type

General category of leaf morphology (e.g., Grass, Broadleaf, Needleleaf), influencing aerodynamic and radiative behavior.

Albedo

Fraction of incoming shortwave solar radiation reflected by the leaves (0 = absorbs all, 1 = reflects all). Low albedo (0.2) means darker leaves absorb more sunlight.

Emissivity

Efficiency of emitting longwave thermal radiation (close to 1 for vegetation). High emissivity aids in nighttime cooling.

Transmittance

Fraction of shortwave radiation passing through the canopy to the ground. Lower values = denser canopy.

Plant height

Depth in meters from which the plant can draw water and nutrients.

Root Zone Depth

Empirical parameter controlling the shape of the soil water retention curve; affects how soil releases water at different tensions.

Costs

Optional user-defined value for economic or scenario cost analysis; not part of the thermal physics.

Leaf Area (LAD) Profile

Vertical distribution of leaf area density (m² leaf per m³ space) through the canopy layers, affecting light interception and transpiration.

Root Area (RAD) Profile

Vertical distribution of root density in soil layers, influencing water uptake patterns.

Season Profile

Seasonal variation factor for vegetation activity (photosynthesis, shading, transpiration) for each month; values close to 1 mean full activity.