On the importance of considering land surface reflectance in earth system studies

Abstract

If we consider the disciplinary divisions which make up earth science: ocean-atmosphere, land-atmosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere, and stratosphere-troposphere, we can see the acknowledgement of the importance of the surface of the earth in understanding the stocks and fluxes of energy, water and matter. Yet understanding the features of the land surface lag behind our understanding of atmospheric chemistry and the health impacts of air pollution. This raises a philosophical question: ‘if we are unable to understand the land surface accurately over a range of temporal and spatial scales, how confident can we be in our understanding of the earth system?’.