Sunflecks Calculation on CI-110P

Sunflecks are brief periods of direct solar radiation reaching below the canopy. The CI-110 measures sunflecks as the percentage of PAR sensors reading above a specified threshold. The sunfleck can also be visualized on the main data display while it is being measured on the PAR response graph, by a spike in the PAR sensor response, likely just across a few sensors. Details to setup the CI-110p for sunfleck measurement are available in the instruction manual.

Sampling period

Typically, sunflecks are distinguished from sun patches by the duration of the direct solar radiation below the canopy. Sunflecks are brief periods of direct solar radiation (a few seconds), while sun patches last much longer. The sampling period menu option allows the user to set the sampling time for sunfleck measurements.

Light threshold

The light threshold is the value at which any PAR sensors reading above that value will be included in the sunfleck reported percentage. For example, if the threshold is set to 300 μmol/m2s and 12 of the PAR sensors are reading above that value the sunflecks value will be reported as 50%.