ABSTRACT
This book provides a comprehensive review of the current state of knowledge and methodology associated with measurement and modeling of ecosystem function in savanna systems. This chapter develops a broad synthesis that draws the measurement, remote sensing and modeling strands together, and summarizes the key issues and deficiencies in data and analysis identified in the individual chapters. As a preamble to this discussion, it is important to recognize the pivotal role that analysis of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (NOAA AVHRR) Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) time series played in our current understanding of the seasonal and interannual dynamics of the West-African savanna. The Sahelian region of West Africa was the crucible wherein the appreciation of the importance of spectral
CONTENTS
Introduction ......................................................................................................... 515 Legacy Research: Coarse Resolution, Time-Series Remote
Sensing, and Savannas .............................................................................. 516 Summation of the Chapters ............................................................................... 517
Biogeographical and Ecological Perspectives ........................................ 517 Carbon, Water, and Trace Gas Fluxes ...................................................... 519 Remote Sensing .......................................................................................... 524 Landscape Modeling ................................................................................. 527 Regional and Continental Scale Modeling and Applications .............. 531 Interactions between Humans and Savanna Systems ..........................535
