Remote Sensing of Natural Areas: Procedures and Considerations for Assessing Stress and Pollution

Remote sensing can be defined as the “acquisition and measurement of data/information on some property(ies) of a phenomenon, object, or material by a recording device not in physical, intimate contact with the feature(s) under surveillance” (Short 1997). Scientists employing remote sensing are able to collect vast quantities of data quickly and efficiently for rapid analysis. One potential use of remote sensing is in the assessment and management of natural areas. Remote sensing in this field has focused on the spectral and spatial properties of vegetation and the surrounding landscape. Changes in these characteristics can be measured over time to aid in understanding what is occurring in a desired area. The data collected, and the sensors used to collect it, depends primarily on the user’s purpose for the data. Features of the environment will also help determine which equipment is the most ideal for a given project. In this discussion, we will examine the use of remote sensing in evaluating vegetation stress and pollution in wetlands.