ABSTRACT
This chapter begins with a short presentation of a few remote sensing fundamentals. Scale in remote sensing has several dimensions, including the spatial, spectral, and temporal dimensions, each of which provides a rich source of ecologically relevant information. Remote detection of lignin or nitrogen content has sometimes provided inputs for models of ecosystem production and N cycling, and successional change. The traditional strength of remote sensing lies in its ability to make objective maps of regions much larger than can be sampled from the ground. Satellite remote sensing provides the frequent global coverage of surface reflectance needed to drive models of global net primary productivity. Remote sensing typically involves noncontact measurement of electromagnetic radiation and the inference of patterns and processes from these measurements. The assumption of a constant efficiency has been carefully examined at many scales using a combination of approaches that include remote sensing, modeling, biomass harvesting, absorbed radiation sampling, and flux measurements.
