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Monitoring and Forecasting

Monitoring changes in land-surface characteristics provides critical information and views about physical (including climatic), biophysical, and human causes for change and rates of change. Monitoring is also an important element in forecasting by linking current processes, rates, and conditions to anticipated change in the future.

Forecasting landscape change helps us to understand the potential effects of natural and human-caused changes on the land surface, including effects on ecosystem dynamics. Forecasts are important for land-use decisions by land managers, as well as by communities and governments at all levels.

For more information, select from the following topics:

• Forecasting ecological and landscape change
• Monitoring changes in vegetation and land surfaces by remote sensing
• Vegetation and land surfaces on the Colorado Plateau
• Vegetation and land surfaces in other southwestern deserts
• CLIM-MET stations (meteorological and wind-erosion monitoring) at ecologically sensitive sites
• Monitoring and modeling of dust emission
• Soil moisture and soil respiration (CO₂) monitoring
• Soil moisture monitoring
• CO₂ flux measurements
• Regional climate modeling