A new publication highlights the importance of satellite-based Earth observation in vegetation monitoring, a field that has been developing since the 1970s with the introduction of the NDVI index. Despite significant technological advancements, validation using in situ measurements remains essential, particularly in ecosystems such as grasslands and wetlands, which play a key role in CO₂ balance and water quality.
As part of the GrasSAT project, field measurements were conducted in Poland and Norway, including Leaf Area Index LAI, soil moisture, and biomass. This article focuses on the results obtained in Poland, emphasizing the importance of local environmental conditions when comparing satellite and ground-based data. Various sampling approaches, such as linear transects and quadrat methods, were applied to improve the consistency between datasets, contributing to the development of more accurate vegetation models.
Publication is available at the https://doi.org/10.2478/mgrsd-2025-0016
