VEGETATIONWATER CONTENT... OR VEGETATION CANOPY WATER?

Attenuation of microwave radiation by a vegetation canopy can be quantified by the vegetation optical depth (VOD). VOD is directly proportional to the total mass of liquid water contained within vegetation tissue per ground area. Traditionally this quantity has been called the vegetation water content (VWC). However, it is an extensive property and other terms characterizing the liquid water in both soil and vegetation that use the word "content" are all intensive properties. I propose that the microwave remote sensing community instead use the term vegetation canopy water or VCW because the same three letters in the acronym are retained.