Recent Advances in Remote Sensing Modeling and Retrieving for Mountain Ecological Parameters

Dear Colleagues,

Mountainous areas occupy about 24% of the global land surface area, have rich natural resources, and are a key ecological security barrier for human social development. Mountainous areas play important ecological service functions in maintaining biodiversity, regulating climate, and conserving water resources. Remote sensing technology is an important means for monitoring mountain ecosystems, especially over global/regional scales. Remote sensing modeling effectively builds a bridge between mountain ecological parameters and spectral radiative signals. In addition, the retrieval results and products of ecological parameters from satellite data are used to analyze spatio-temporal ecosystem evolution processes and provide necessary inputs of mountain land surface models. It is worth noting that data processing and quantitative applications of the remotely sensed observations face serious challenges (geometric and spectral distortions, evident ill-posed inversion, complex energy balance, etc.) due to the complex topography and the redistribution of material and energy over rugged surfaces. This requires improvements and advances in methodologies for remote sensing modeling and the retrieval of mountain ecological parameters.

However, at present the relevant studies are dispersed, and there is little systematic integration in the field of modeling and retrieving for mountain ecological parameters based on remotely sensed observations. Furthermore, the well-developed technologies from other disciplines, especially machine learning and deep learning methods, are seldom introduced in this field. In this context, this Special Issue aims to collect recent advances, the latest methodologies, and state-of-the-art technologies for remote sensing data preprocessing, forward canopy reflectance modeling, retrieval of ecological parameters, as well as product generation and validation over rugged surfaces. We hope that this Issue can integrate the latest advances and provide recent important research findings, and further serve for the innovative development in this field.

The topics of interest may include:

• Multisource and multiscale data fusion technology over mountainous areas;
• Topographic and atmospheric correction methodology over mountainous areas;
• Radiative transfer modeling and its application on complex terrains;
• Retrieval of biophysical parameters on complex terrains;
• Application of machine learning and deep learning technologies over rugged surfaces;
• Integrated multiscale remote sensing experiments over mountainous areas;
• Generation of high-resolution satellite products and validation over mountainous areas.

Dr. Huaan Jin
Dr. Jinhu Bian
Prof. Dr. Jianguang Wen
Prof. Dr. Tao He
Prof. Dr. Ainong Li
Guest Editors

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