Introduction to the ESOM Group at FRCGC

The Ecosystem Spatial Observation and Modeling (ESOM) Group combines satellite remote sensing observations with other data sources to detect, quantify, and model changes in the distribution and functioning of terrestrial ecosystems. The primary focus is on land vegetation and its role in the terrestrial carbon cycle and global climate system. Our research priorities during years 2004 through 2006 have three major themes:

1. retrieval and analysis biophysical and environmental variables from satellite observations at regional to global scales,
   
2. analysis of seasonal and interannual vegetation growth dynamics and their interactions with the terrestrial carbon cycle and climate system, and
3. integration of remotely sensed observations with ecosystem process modeling, including Sim-CYCLE.

The research is designed to advance current knowledge and understanding of the patterns and dynamics of terrestrial ecosystems at broad spatial scales, and improve the reliability and accuracy of models of the terrestrial carbon cycle and related processes of the biosphere-atmosphere-climate system.

The ESOM Group is part of the Ecosystem Change Research Program (ECRP) at the JAMSTEC Frontier Research Center for Global Change (FRCGC).

Group Members