Potential of Remote Sensing in the Thermal Band for Global Change

Global changes are the product of complex processes that occur within the Earth system and, as far as mankind is concerned, have an impact on the habitability of the Planet. Global change related activities therefore aim at understanding, modeling and monitoring the relations between Earth (as a whole), anthropogenic influence and external forcing (mainly solar input and solid Earth process). The main contribution to global change comes from the coupling between biogeochemical processes and the physical climate system: exchange of energy-mass-momentum between ocean/land and atmosphere, atmospheric chemistry and transformation of energy, for instance from radiative to non-radiative form (biosphere).