Processing and Archiving of Satellite and Ancillary Data -- Radiative Processes of the Surface- Atmosphere System -- Primary Level Products -- Higher Level Variables and Their Validation -- From Research to Application. 1. 1 Space View and Ground Observations 1 1. 2 Mediterranean Climatic Environment 2 1. 3 Processes at Surfaces 10 1. 3. 1 Deforestation and Land-use Changes 10 1. 3. 2 Water Related Problems 16 1. 3. 3 Fire, Grazing, and Land Degradation 19 1. 3. 4 Drought, Floods, Frost, and Desertification 21 1. 3. 5 Coupling Between Surface and Atmosphere: The Role of the Atmospheric Boundary Layer 25 1. 4 Role and Capabilities of Measurements Made From Space 30 1. 4. 1 Research Programmes 30 1. 4. 2 Expected Information 32 1. 4. 3 Research Strategy 33 1. 4. 4 Observation of Changes in Heterogeneous Landscapes: Spatial and Temporal Scales 35 1. 4. 5 Land-surface Change Indicators Observable from Space 36 Spectral Characteristics of Vegetation and Soils (36); Responses of Remote Sensing Signals to Changes of Land-surface Properties (40) 1. 5 About this Book 48 Chapter 2 Processing and Archiving of Satellite and Ancillary Data 51 2. 1 Introduction 51 2. 2 The Remote Sensing Data Base 55 2. 2. 1 Satellite Instruments 55 The NOAA Observing System (55); Meteosat (57); Nimbus-7 (59); Landsat (59); SPOT (61); DMSP (62); ERS-1 and ERS-2 (62); TRMM (63); Terra (64); Envisat (65); Aqua (66) 2. 2. 2 Aircraft Instruments 66 The Use of Aircraft for Land-surface Process Studies (66); AVIRIS (67); TMS (68); AIRSAR (68); DIAL (69) 2. 3 Reception, Acquisition and Availability of Satellite Data 70 2. 3.