Way Forward

Throughout the workshop, participants discussed key knowledge and information gaps, as well as opportunities to advance the science. The importance of the scale at which data is collected was a recurrent theme. Expanded use of available, higher spatial- and temporal-resolution data was seen as an extremely beneficial step toward improved understanding of key processes relating to greening and browning trends.

Participants also discussed the value in better linking the remote sensing and field-based research communities not only through more consistent use of terminology and methods (as appropriate), but also by expanding collaboration opportunities. This could include allowing student exchanges between labs to enable students to expand their education and use of new tools and applications while sharing knowledge with their host laboratory. Additionally, improving efforts to utilize citizen science and integrate local knowledge into the scientific process was viewed by participants as a valuable approach to advance understanding.

Participants noted that much of the necessary information and many tools to improve understanding of greening and browning trends and drivers are already available. They also discussed how expanded use of existing and emerging methods and datasets, increased attention to data collection at high resolution, and integration of this information across a wide range of spatial and temporal scales could help advance the science.

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