Two researchers at UMBC’s Joint Center for Earth Systems Technology (JCET) and colleagues have found that instrumentation on the International Space Station (ISS) can collect data measuring the photosynthetic activity of various ecosystems and landscapes in a way that is both more comprehensive and more nuanced than standard land-based techniques.
“We’re laying the groundwork for developing ways of monitoring vegetation,” says Fred Huemmrich, JCET scientist and lead author on the new study. High-resolution monitoring of photosynthesis on landscapes such as agricultural fields, forests, and grasslands could inform everything from farming practices to our understanding of climate change.