Remote Sensing plays a key role in monitoring the various manifestations of global climate change. It is used routinely in the assessment and mapping of biodiversity over large areas, in the monitoring of changes to the physical environment, in assessing threats to various components of natural systems, and in the identification of priority areas for conservation. This book presents the fundamentals of remote sensing technology, but rather than containing lengthy explanations of sensor specifications and operation, it concentrates instead on the application of the technology to key environmental systems. Each system forms the basis of a separate chapter, and each is illustrated by real world case studies and examples.
Readership
The book is intended for advanced undergraduate and graduate students in earth science, environmental science, or physical geography taking a course in environmental remote sensing. It will also be an invaluable reference for environmental scientists and managers who require an overview of the use of remote sensing in monitoring and mapping environmental change at regional and global scales.
Additional resources for this book can be found at: http: //www.wiley.com/go/purkis/remote.
About the Author :
Samuel J. Purkis (PhD) is an Associate Professor at the National Coral Reef Institute, Nova Southeastern University Oceanographic Center, Florida, USA. Here, he directs a team focused on remote sensing solutions for the regional-scale appraisal of shallow-water tropical ecosystems. His experience in the Earth and Marine Sciences spans more than fifteen years and all of Earth's major coral reef provinces, ranging from ecological assessment, through sophisticated geostatistical modelling, to carbonate geology. Victor V. Klemas (PhD) is Professor Emeritus at the College of Earth, Ocean and Environment, University of Delaware. Since 1976 he has directed the university's Center for Remote Sensing, where he has pioneered the application of a wide range of remote sensing techniques to studies of wetland and estuarine ecosystems along major coasts of the world. He has served on six scientific committees of the National Research Council (NAS) and various government advisory panels.
Review :
"...the book provides a useful text and reference source for information on remote sensing of the Earth's surface for the study of global environmental change...the book's strengths include the comprehensive material presented in the chapters on remote sensing of the land, oceans and coastal regions, which are areas of expertise for the authors. For this reason alone it is a valuable addition to the bookshelf of any student of remote sensing." (Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, June 2013)
"An exciting and informative book to read and a pleasure to review, this work constitutes a generalist's dream. . . By that virtue, this book should also appeal to the informed public at large." (Photogrammetric Engineering & Remote Sensing, 1 October 2012)
"I would recommend this book to those unfamiliar with remote-sensing methods and applications and to others who want to see how these techniques can be applied to global environmental change." (The Leading Edge, 1 May 2012)
"I highly recommend the well explained and invaluable reference book Remote Sensing and Global Environmental Change by Samuel J. Purkis and Victor V. Klemas, to any students, professionals, and policy makers who are seeking a comprehensive and well presented approach to the application of remote sensing technology to global environmental change. This book will enhance and enrich your understanding of remote sensing, and of its accompanying technologies and environmental applications." (Blog Business World, 22 October 2011)
"The book covers in a very comprehensive way many aspects of remote sensing providing a global view of the physical background, models, a variety of sensors and several applications. Culturally, the book provides a clear picture of the remote sensing as a three-leg problem: measurements, models and inversion. The reader is guided into a tour of the most challenging services within GMES and GOESS programs. Authors are able to teach and fascinate at the same time."
Maurizio Migliaccio
Università di Napoli Parthenope, Italy
"This book is written by two internationally leading scholars who have over 50 years combined experience in remote sensing and Earth sciences. It examines how the modern concepts, technologies and methods in remote sensing can be effectively used to solve problems relevant to a wide range of topics in global environmental change studies. And it has a companion site that contains all the figures and tables included in the book. This book is invaluable for undergraduate and graduate teaching, while providing a good overview of the technology to a manager or scientist."
Xiaojun Yang, Ph.D. Department of Geography, Florida State University, USA
