Vegetation biomass is an important ecological variable for understanding responses to the climate system and currently observed global change. It is also an important factor influencing biodiversity and environmental processes, especially in semi-arid areas. These areas cover large parts of the land surface and are especially susceptible to degradation and desertification. Therefore, a great need exists for the development of accurate and transferable methods for biomass estimation in semi-arid areas. This paper presents an overview of previously applied remote sensing based approaches for above-ground biomass estimation in semi-arid regions. Based on the literature analysis a summary and discussion of commonly observed difficulties and challenges will be presented. Further research is especially required on the transferability of remote sensing based methods for biomass estimation in semi-arid areas. Additional analyses should be directed towards efficient field sampling schemes, and the synergetic use of optical and radar data.

Date Published: 25 October 2010
PDF: 8 pages
Proc. SPIE 7831, Earth Resources and Environmental Remote Sensing/GIS Applications, 78310L (25 October 2010); doi: 10.1117/12.868505

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 7831:
Earth Resources and Environmental Remote Sensing/GIS Applications
Ulrich Michel; Daniel L. Civco, Editor(s)