new article on remote sensing of ecosystems: opportunities, challenges and way forward

new article on remote sensing of ecosystems: opportunities, challenges and way forward

August 28, 2017

Our new article on remote sensing applications for ecosystem functions is now online “Satellite remote sensing of ecosystem functions: opportunities, challenges and way forward“. The article is lead by Nathalie Pettorelli and consists of members of the GEO BON Working Group. From the abstract: Societal, economic and scientific interests in knowing where biodiversity is, how it is faring and what can be done to efficiently mitigate further biodiversity loss and the associated loss of ecosystem services are at an all-time high. So far, however, biodiversity monitoring has primarily focused on structural and compositional features of ecosystems despite growing evidence that ecosystem functions are key to elucidating the mechanisms through which biological diversity generates services to humanity. This monitoring gap can be traced to the current lack of consensus on what exactly ecosystem functions are and how to track them at scales beyond the site level. This contribution aims to advance the development of a global biodiversity monitoring strategy by proposing the adoption of a set of definitions and a typology for ecosystem functions, and reviewing current opportunities and potential limitations for satellite remote sensing technology to support the monitoring of ecosystem functions worldwide. By clearly defining ecosystem processes, functions and services and their interrelationships, we provide a framework to improve communication between ecologists, land and marine managers, remote sensing specialists and policy makers, thereby addressing a major barrier in the field.

continue reading:

Pettorelli, N., Schulte to Bühne, H., Tulloch, A., Dubois, G., Macinnis-Ng, C., Queirós, A. M., Keith, D. A., Wegmann, M., Schrodt, F., Stellmes, M., Sonnenschein, R., Geller, G. N., Roy, S., Somers, B., Murray, N., Bland, L., Geijzendorffer, I., Kerr, J. T., Broszeit, S., Leitão, P. J., Duncan, C., El Serafy, G., He, K. S., Blanchard, J. L., Lucas, R., Mairota, P., Webb, T. J., Nicholson, E. (2017), Satellite remote sensing of ecosystem functions: opportunities, challenges and way forward. Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation. doi: 10.1002/rse2.59

you may also like:

New paper on the digital divide in Africa’s cities published

Our team of researchers from the Earth Observation Center (EOC) of the German Aerospace Center (DLR), the Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg, and our Earth Observation Research Cluster (EORC) published a new study on the digital divide in Africa: A...

Successful fieldwork at the Naryn River in Kyrgyzstan

Successful fieldwork at the Naryn River in Kyrgyzstan

During the last week, EORC PI Florian Betz, EAGLE student Ariana Arguello-Cordero and FluBig team member Magdalena Lauermann from Catholic University Eichstätt-Ingolstadt have been on a field campaign in Kyrgyzstan to collect data for the FluBig project dedicated to...

EO4CAM Meeting in Oberpfaffenhofen

EO4CAM Meeting in Oberpfaffenhofen

On 5 June 2025, representatives from the Bavarian State Ministry of the Environment and Consumer Protection (StMUV), the Bavarian Environment Agency (LfU), and the German Aerospace Center (DLR) met at DLR Oberpfaffenhofen as part of the EO4CAM (Earth Observation...

EORC at the International Africa Festival 2025 in Würzburg

EORC at the International Africa Festival 2025 in Würzburg

If you know Würzburg, you certainly know the International Africa Festival, Europe's largest and oldest festival for African music and culture. For 15 years in a row now, the university tent has been an integral part of the festival. This is where the...