Desertification monitoring using the ASTER global emissivity dataset

An improved method for measuring and potentially monitoring surface particle size using satellite multispectral VNIR-SWIR-TIR ASTER TIR imagery was successfully tested for the Mu Us Desert to Loess Plateau region of China. The remote sensing results were validated against field sample data and published work. This work has implications for establishing a new mineral-based Earth Observation indicator for quantitative monitoring process of desertification.