Hyperspectral assesments of condition and species composition of Australian grasslands

Temperate grasslands in Australia show dynamic responses to climate, which renders them difficult to study using conventional remote sensing tools. However, the need to adequately describe native grassland variables is critical in maintaining ecological and agricultural values. We used a spectroradiometer to measure leaf-and canopy-level spectra from grassland plots in a controlled environment and compared results to fractional cover and species type. We found that the target species, Themeda australis and Poa labillardierei were separable at canopy and leaf level for both healthy and senescent foliage. In particular, we found differences in the 470-510 nm and 660-700 nm spectral regions. Comparison of narrow band vegetation indices for different combinations of photosynthetic and non-photosynthetic material showed strong relationships across a range of fractional cover values which was co-linear for both species. This method demonstrates the potential for remote sensing to identify Australian grasslands of different quality and composition. © 2013 IEEE

Climate change 2013: the physical science basis

This report argues that it is extremely likely that human influence has been the dominant cause of the observed warming since the mid-20th century. This is an an unedited version of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change\u27s Working Group I contribution to the Fifth Assessment Report following the release of its Summary for Policymakers on 27 September 2013.  The full Report is posted in the version distributed to governments on 7 June 2013 and accepted by Working Group I and the Panel on 27 September 2013. It includes the Technical Summary, 14 chapters and an Atlas of Global and Regional Climate Projections. Following copy-editing, layout, final checks for errors and adjustments for changes in the Summary for Policymakers, the full Report will be published online in January 2014 and in book form by Cambridge University Press a few months later