Abstract
As humans continue to alter Earth systems, conservationists look to remote sensing to monitor, inventory, and understand ecosystems and ecosystem processes at large spatial scales. Multispectral remote sensing data are commonly integrated into conservation decision-making frameworks, yet imaging spectroscopy, or hyperspectral remote sensing, is underutilized in conservation. The high spectral resolution of imaging spectrometers captures the chemistry of Earth surfaces, whereas multispectral satellites indirectly represent such surfaces through band ratios. Here, we present case studies wherein imaging spectroscopy was used to inform and improve conservation decision-making and discuss potential future applications. These case studies include a broad array of conservation areas, including forest, dryland, and marine ecosystems, as well as urban applications and methane monitoring. Imaging spectroscopy technology is rapidly developing, especially with regard to satellite-based spectrometers. Improving on and expanding existing applications of imaging spectroscopy to conservation, developing imaging spectroscopy data products for use by other researchers and decision-makers, and pioneering novel uses of imaging spectroscopy will greatly expand the toolset for conservation decision-makers.
Highlights
Imaging Spectroscopy forThe Earth system is undergoing rapid change [1]
Imaging spectroscopy is a powerful tool that can aid in conservation decision-making
These data can be applied to diverse ecosystems, such as forests, oceans, drylands, and urban areas, as well as detecting greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere
Summary
The Earth system is undergoing rapid change [1]. At the turn of the 21st century, 75% of ice-free terrestrial surfaces were used by humans in some fashion [2]. While nearly half of published conservation biology research has focused on documenting threats to biodiversity [8], an increasingly large subset of practitioners in this field is entrenched in conservation decision-making [9]. Remote sensing informs both of these communities and is used to document land-use/land-cover changes [10] that inform research and conservation decision-making [11,12,13]. Remote sensing based on imaging spectroscopy can directly measto laboratory spectroscopy, remote sensing based on imaging spectroscopy can directly uremeasure Earthcharacteristics system characteristics such as vegetation canopy chemical traits, atmomethane, urban surface composition, and undersea coral reefs. Airborne and satellite-based data to be incorporated into decision-making frameworks
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