1.Institute of Natural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China; 2. International Institute for Earth System Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China
This paper analyzes the situation of current agricultural pollution problem in China and examines the applicability of remote sensing technology to agricultural pollution monitoring on the regional scale. Specific emphasis is placed on the application of remote sensing to water pollution monitoring, soil contamination evaluation, variation of crop polluting and air pollution from agricultural activities. The integration of remote sensing with geographic information system techniques is also examined with the purpose of establishing agricultural pollution management systems for the spatial modeling of agricultural pollutants cycling among the spheres of farmland soil, water bodies and atmosphere and the controlling of the pollutant movement in these spheres. Therefore, remote sensing of agricultural pollution is a front academic investigation field both in remote sensing and in agricultural pollution. Nevertheless, not enough importance has yet been attached to this research field in China. It is hence very necessary to promote the academic investigation of this front field in that such investigation is not only the requirement of remote sensing science but also the demand of agricultural pollution control in China.