Can remote sensing be used to map vegetation and monitor community change in Antarctica?

This dataset consists of Hyperion satellite imagery, as well as GPS ground truthing of vegetation quadrats.The aims of this project were:1. to produce a spectral library of the major subantarctic terrestrial plant species and community types from ground spectroradiometery measurements .2. to use the spectral library to assist in classification of vegetation communities.File: 2392HI2003_04 Vegetation Survey Data.xlsTable of vegetation data collected from Heard Island in the summer of 2003-2004 by Johanna Turnbull. Areas surveyed were Paddick Valley, Fairchild Beach, Dovers Moraine and Skua Beach. Ten 1x1 m quadrats were sampled with each 30x30 m site surveyed. Quadrats were selected haphazardly. Numbers are given as percentage cover of each species, averaged out over the ten sampled quadrats, unless otherwise stated.The Codes used for species/ground cover types and vegetation communities/associations can be found in sheet 2 of the excel file, called 'vegetation codes'. They are also listed below:Vegetation - Species/Ground Cover TypesCode - Species/ground cover typesAM - Acaena magellanicaAS - Azorella selagoCA - CallitricheCA w/ H2O - Callitriche in waterCO - Colobanthus sp.DE - DeschampsiaG - GravelL - LichenLI - LiverwortM - Moss/BryophytesMO - Montia fontanaPA - Pringlea antiscorbuticaPAN - Poa annuaPC - Poa cookiiPK - Poa kuerguelensisPK/PC - P. kerguelensis / P. cookii HybridR - rockS - sand / soilW - WaterVegetation - Communities / AssociationsCode - CommunityDCC - Closed CushionfieldDCC w/ Aceana - Closed Cushionfield with AceanaDCC/H - Closed Cushionfield/HerbfieldDCC/H/T - Cushionfield/Herbfield/TussockFF - FellfieldH - HerbfieldMF - MossfieldPC/M - Pool Complex/MeadowPCC - Open CushionfieldPCC/MF - Open Cushionfield/MossfieldSM - Mire/Flush/MeadowSM/PCC - Mire/Flush/Open CushionfieldTHD - Tussock with Cushionfield/Herbfield