Remote sensing in ecological botany

At the XIIth International Botanical Congress, on July 4, 1975, a new direction in scientific methodology was evaluated for the first time within the framework of an International Union of Biological Sciences—remote sensing of vegetation and the environment. Remote sensing is a method of studying the composition, structure, dynamics, and productivity of ecosystems and the state of the biosphere by means of reflectance and emittance characteristics of the earth's surface measureable from aircraft and spacecraft, and the interpretation of such remotely sensed imagery. Remote cartography is conducted with aerial and space images with a scale of from 1: 1000 to 1:30 000 000. Phytomass can be measured by comparing the dependence of the phytocenometric characteristics with the magnitude of the remotely obtained signal. Phenology and dynamics are revealed by means of optical comparison of successive images. Structural ecological investigations can be based on spatial and factoral integration of ecosystems on single, remotely-sensed images. Remote sensors record spatial and temporal variability of the reflective and emissive characteristics of vegetative ground cover. Anthropogeneous effects are recognized by indication of vegetation clearing, fires, ploughing, overgrazing, water and air pollution, and water and wind erosion.