The Environmental Remote Sensing Group of the University of Valencia (UV-ERS) (formerly, Remote Sensing Research Unit, UIT) started its activities in 1979 with the award of a NASA project to study Mediterranean agricultural areas using measurements from satellite HCMM. Since then, and uninterruptedly, we have developed physical models and operational methodologies for the study of vegetation cover through satellite imagery, using data mostly plot the solar spectrum. The possibility of deriving operationally a large number of essential climate variables allows characterization of the state of vegetation cover at local, regional and global levels, and to study processes of mass and energy exchanges in the vegetation-atmosphere system. These essential variables are particularly relevant in the current context of assessment of the climate system. The analysis of image-derived time series covering decades provides further quantitative information on the temporal evolution of the system.

The expertise of the UV-ERS has a wide national and international recognition, with more than 20 research projects funded in the last 20 years and a large number of publications in peer-reviewed high impact factor journals in the Remote Sensing category (Google scholar). Our research activities (identified by the acronym of the project funded by The European Commission or Spanish funding agencies) have covered the study of desertification in the Mediterranean basin (EFEDA, MEDALUS), the recovery of burned areas cover (CEAM, LUCIFER), the study of desertification and degradation processes (Study Desertification in Spain. Stage I, HISPASED, IDEAS, TEDECVA, DeSurvey), and the estimation of carbon flux exchange between atmosphere and vegetation (ÁRTEMIS, CLIMATE RESET, ESCENARIOS). Internationally, the UV-ERS has renowned expertise in processing and analysis of remote sensing data, as evidenced by its current partnership in research clusters of excellence (LSA SAF) and EU-FP projects (DeSurvey, ERMES).

Address:
Department of Earth Physics and Thermodynamics
Faculty of Physics
University of Valencia
Dr. Moliner, 50
46100-Burjassot, Valencia, Spain