Spectral Analysis for Earth Science: Investigations Using Remote Sensing Data

Remote sensing in the earth sciences has grown remarkably over the last decade. This growth has been spurred by rapid advances in technology that have opened up new avenues of analysis and inquiry. Of these advances, the merging of spectroscopy and imaging has been the most important. Spectroscopy has been used as a quantitative tool in the laboratory for many years and there exists a wealth of understanding and analysis strategies for such data. Although early imaging spectrometer instruments suffered through the usual development problems, these systems are now approaching the spectral resolution and quality of laboratory measurements, blurring the distinction between the two but also bringing some of the more advanced laboratory spectral analysis techniques to bear on complex earth science problems of the field. The most advanced sensors and instruments are currently mounted on aircraft, but there are exciting plans to integrate the best of these into orbiting platforms which will facilitate greater accessibility and wider geographic coverage. Broadly speaking, spectral analysis refers to the extraction of quantitative or qual-