Science

ASTER, like other high spatial resolution, earth observing instruments, provides data useful for a wide range of science research and applications. These include:

	Land surface climatology -- investigation of land surface parameters, surface temperature, etc., to understand land-surface interaction and energy and moisture fluxes
	Vegetation and ecosystem dynamics -- investigations of vegetation and soil distribution and their changes to estimate biological productivity, understand land-atmosphere interactions, and detect ecosystem change
	Volcano monitoring -- monitoring of eruptions and precursor events, such as gas emissions, eruption plumes, development of lava lakes, eruptive history and eruptive potential
	Hazard monitoring -- observation of the extent and effects of wildfires, flooding, coastal erosion, earthquake damage, and tsunami damage
	Hydrology -- understanding global energy and hydrologic processes and their relationship to global change; included is evapotranspiration from plants
	Geology and soils -- the detailed composition and geomorphologic mapping of surface soils and bedrocks to study land surface processes and earth's history
	Land surface and land cover change -- monitoring desertification, deforestation, urbanization; providing data for conservation managers to monitor protected areas, national parks, wilderness areas.