Using satellite imagery, scientists have been able to monitor environmental change over large areas such as the Amazon. As Dr. Bruce Nelson discusses in this lecture, satellite technology enables monitoring of both natural and human-created change. Drawing from his work with Brazil's National Amazon Research Institute, Nelson explains why the human impact in the Amazon is cause for concern, and he also shows why natural disturbances in the rain forest are interesting to study.

During the 70s and 80s, many bold claims were made about rates of deforestation in the Amazon, but few had were based on rigorous scientific data. In the 80s, NASA research scientist Dr. Compton J. Tucker began using satellite data to measure deforestation in Amazonia and calculate its rate. In this lecture, Tucker, explains the process he used and explains the results and their implications.