SATELLITE MEASUREMENTS OF LAND PARAMETERS AS PART OF AN INTERNATIONAL PROGRAM OF CLIMATE RESEARCH

The role of remote sensing in one aspect of the World Climate Research Program is summarized. More specifically, unresolved theoretical and methodological problems are outlined for the use of remote sensing imagery (in conjunction with the International Land Surface Climatology Project) to derive quantitative parameters of land (and ice) surface characteristics. These parameters are raw data for models of the overall circulation of the atmosphere, which can be used to generate maps of albedo, surface roughness, hydrology, etc. A list of preliminary standards for satellite monitoring of land surface characteristics is included. Translated from: Izvestiya Vsesoyuznogo Geograficheskogo Obshchestva, 1988, No. 2, pp. 161-165.