11. THE ROLE OF REMOTE SENSING IN LAND SURFACE
EXPERIMENTS WITHIN BAHC AND ISLSCP
95
between the land-surface climate and remote sensing communities. Its
objectives are
to demonstrate the types of surface and near-surface satellite
measurements that are relevant to climate and global change studies;
to develop and improve algorithms for the interpretation of satellite
measurements of land-surface features;
to develop methods to validate area-averaged quantities derived from
satellite measurements for climate simulation models;
to prepare the groundwork for future operational production of landsurface data sets, which can be directly applied to climate problems.
The “ISLSCP Initiative I” data set released on CD-ROM includes global
land cover, hydrometeorology, radiation and soils data sets for 1987-88, regridded to a common 1° × 1° format. A follow-up is under preparation,
extending the time frame (1987-96), increasing the resolution (0.5°), and
using improved algorithms where appropriate.
4.
LAND-SURFACE EXPERIMENTS
It has long been recognized that due to the complex and interacting
nature of the exchange processes at the land-atmosphere interface,
concentrated interdisciplinary research efforts are needed. For this purpose
the concept of land-surface experiments (LSEs) was developed with the
objectives
to document a GCM grid-scale volume subtending the surface;
to sample surface exchanges, and study their aggregation from sub-grid
scale to landscape units;
to collect and validate satellite data for land-surface models;
to validate surface-atmosphere models at 10-100 km scales.
Aggregation refers to spatial averaging of surface variables in order to
obtain effective values representative for a heterogeneous area.
Initially motivated by the need to better understand the aggregate
behavior of the landscape in the formation of weather and climate (HAPEXMOBILHY), and by the wish to exploit the potential of remote sensing in
the same context (FIFE), a series of LSEs was implemented through the
Joint IGBP/WCRP Working Group on Land-Surface Experiments, to cover
the ecosystem and climate zones of most interest for global change. Table 1
shows the timing, location and spatial scale of these LSEs.
Each
LSE
involves
detailed
ground-based
measurements
(micrometeorology, soils, and vegetation) at selected sites, research aircraft
with in-situ atmospheric and remote sensing instrumentation, aerological
EXPERIMENTS WITHIN BAHC AND ISLSCP
95
between the land-surface climate and remote sensing communities. Its
objectives are
to demonstrate the types of surface and near-surface satellite
measurements that are relevant to climate and global change studies;
to develop and improve algorithms for the interpretation of satellite
measurements of land-surface features;
to develop methods to validate area-averaged quantities derived from
satellite measurements for climate simulation models;
to prepare the groundwork for future operational production of landsurface data sets, which can be directly applied to climate problems.
The “ISLSCP Initiative I” data set released on CD-ROM includes global
land cover, hydrometeorology, radiation and soils data sets for 1987-88, regridded to a common 1° × 1° format. A follow-up is under preparation,
extending the time frame (1987-96), increasing the resolution (0.5°), and
using improved algorithms where appropriate.
4.
LAND-SURFACE EXPERIMENTS
It has long been recognized that due to the complex and interacting
nature of the exchange processes at the land-atmosphere interface,
concentrated interdisciplinary research efforts are needed. For this purpose
the concept of land-surface experiments (LSEs) was developed with the
objectives
to document a GCM grid-scale volume subtending the surface;
to sample surface exchanges, and study their aggregation from sub-grid
scale to landscape units;
to collect and validate satellite data for land-surface models;
to validate surface-atmosphere models at 10-100 km scales.
Aggregation refers to spatial averaging of surface variables in order to
obtain effective values representative for a heterogeneous area.
Initially motivated by the need to better understand the aggregate
behavior of the landscape in the formation of weather and climate (HAPEXMOBILHY), and by the wish to exploit the potential of remote sensing in
the same context (FIFE), a series of LSEs was implemented through the
Joint IGBP/WCRP Working Group on Land-Surface Experiments, to cover
the ecosystem and climate zones of most interest for global change. Table 1
shows the timing, location and spatial scale of these LSEs.
Each
LSE
involves
detailed
ground-based
measurements
(micrometeorology, soils, and vegetation) at selected sites, research aircraft
with in-situ atmospheric and remote sensing instrumentation, aerological