Drylands make up roughly 40% of the Earth's land surface, and billions of people depend on services provided by these critically important ecosystems. Yet, our understanding of how well remote sensing techniques capture dryland ecosystem function remains limited. Utilizing a synthesis of eddy covariance flux tower data spanning drylands of the Southwest United States, we present a comprehensive assessment of the ability of remote sensing to accurately capture dryland vegetation productivity. We then identify strategies which leverage new and emerging opportunities, including new sensors and techniques, to overcome previous challenges and more accurately contextualize drylands within the broader Earth system.
