11. THE ROLE OF REMOTE SENSING IN LAND SURFACE
EXPERIMENTS WITHIN BAHC AND ISLSCP
101
maps of topography, land-cover and soil properties. This is important to
enable optimization of the field sampling design at basin-wide and more
local scales and will be necessary for correct interpretation of research
results.
Finally, because biomass burning is an extremely important issue in
Amazonia, remote sensing is being used to monitor the frequency of
occurrence and extent of fires and the subsequent distribution of atmospheric
aerosols.
Data needs for remote sensing in LBA have been identified along with
candidate data sources and methodologies to derive the required
biogeophysical parameters (Hall et al., 1996; see also list in Section 8). A
significant part of these data needs are rather challenging in terms of both
sensors and algorithms.
A broad constellation of satellites may add to existing archives during
LBA, including Landsat 7, SPOT, ERS, JERS, RADARSAT, ADEOS,
ENVISAT and CBERS, as well as the EOS platform and TRMM. Remote
sensing technique development can contribute to the scientific aims of LBA
to allow LBA to benefit from the enhanced capabilities of new sensors and
algorithms while, at the same time, validating the new sensor products and
algorithms. Aircraft continue to be a key complementary platform to test and
validate new sensors and algorithms and to acquire higher spatial resolution
data.
Remote sensing algorithms need extensive development and validation
for conditions specific to Amazonia. This particularly applies to radiative
transfer modeling, and to algorithms to identify certain types of land cover
unique to Amazonia, including forest re-growth stages. Further development
is also needed for algorithms to process active and passive microwave sensor
images that will be required to deal with the ubiquitous cloud cover and
seasonal smoke from biomass burning, and to retrieve atmospheric profiles
of temperature and water vapor, cloud properties and precipitation.
8.
SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS, OUTLOOK
The objectives of land-surface related components of WCRP and IGBP
have been reviewed. Their common denominator is the focus on the
interactive physical and biological processes at the land-atmosphere
interface. Earth Observation data play an important role. Two kinds of data
requirements (linked by feedback processes in both directions) result from
these objectives:
EXPERIMENTS WITHIN BAHC AND ISLSCP
101
maps of topography, land-cover and soil properties. This is important to
enable optimization of the field sampling design at basin-wide and more
local scales and will be necessary for correct interpretation of research
results.
Finally, because biomass burning is an extremely important issue in
Amazonia, remote sensing is being used to monitor the frequency of
occurrence and extent of fires and the subsequent distribution of atmospheric
aerosols.
Data needs for remote sensing in LBA have been identified along with
candidate data sources and methodologies to derive the required
biogeophysical parameters (Hall et al., 1996; see also list in Section 8). A
significant part of these data needs are rather challenging in terms of both
sensors and algorithms.
A broad constellation of satellites may add to existing archives during
LBA, including Landsat 7, SPOT, ERS, JERS, RADARSAT, ADEOS,
ENVISAT and CBERS, as well as the EOS platform and TRMM. Remote
sensing technique development can contribute to the scientific aims of LBA
to allow LBA to benefit from the enhanced capabilities of new sensors and
algorithms while, at the same time, validating the new sensor products and
algorithms. Aircraft continue to be a key complementary platform to test and
validate new sensors and algorithms and to acquire higher spatial resolution
data.
Remote sensing algorithms need extensive development and validation
for conditions specific to Amazonia. This particularly applies to radiative
transfer modeling, and to algorithms to identify certain types of land cover
unique to Amazonia, including forest re-growth stages. Further development
is also needed for algorithms to process active and passive microwave sensor
images that will be required to deal with the ubiquitous cloud cover and
seasonal smoke from biomass burning, and to retrieve atmospheric profiles
of temperature and water vapor, cloud properties and precipitation.
8.
SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS, OUTLOOK
The objectives of land-surface related components of WCRP and IGBP
have been reviewed. Their common denominator is the focus on the
interactive physical and biological processes at the land-atmosphere
interface. Earth Observation data play an important role. Two kinds of data
requirements (linked by feedback processes in both directions) result from
these objectives: