A literature survey of the use of data from the TIROS-N series of polar orbiting meteorological satellites in investigations outside the meteorological and oceanographic context is presented. Studies of the land surface using sensors aboard these satellites have mostly used combinations of reflected wavelengths up to the present. These studies suggest that the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) can provide valuable information on various surface features. Comparisons of data from the TIROS-N series platforms with data from LANDSAT lend support to this view. A review of previous work outlining differences between the TIROS-N and LANDSAT satellite systems is presented together with a summary of the various combinations of reflected wavelengths as applied to land surface studies. The final section summarizes the work undertaken in studies published