Images of the Earth: A Guide to Remote Sensing (Oxford Science Publications)

Remote sensing has revolutionized our knowledge of the Earth but serious accounts of the science are rarely accessible to students without backgrounds in mathematics and physics. This entertaining book provides a solution, using over 200 illustrations to introduce to a general audience the science of remote sensing and what it has taught us about the Earth. The author begins with a discussion of image processing, human perception of pictures, and techniques for enhancing pictures to suit the eye. The core of the book then examines in detail every facet of the Earth's surface, including the ocean depths, the paths of hurricanes, the productivity of forests and farms, the locations of mineral deposits, and the impact of human activity and natural catastrophes.

Stephen Drury, Lecturer in Earth Sciences, Open University.