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Deering, Donald W.

Publications and source records attributed to Deering, Donald W..

12 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1992

A simple analytical function for bidirectional reflectance

A simple bidirectional reflectance model based on physical scattering laws is developed to calculate the bidirectional reflectance of a wide variety of surfaces. Chandrasekhar's radiative transfer solution, obtained for the anisotropically scattering semi-infinite medium, is used to compute the multiple-scattered radiances. However, since the radiative transfer solution does not take architectural effects into consideration, we adopt Hapke's (1986) approach and add an empirical term to explain the hot-spot phenomenon and use Cox and Munk's (1954) formulation to take into account the specular reflection. The physical parameters of the model are retrieved from bidirectional reflectance measurements. For each surface, only one set of model parameters is needed for application to all illumination and viewing geometries. The validity of the model is established by comparing the computed and measured reflectances for sets of viewing and illumination angles that were not included in the inversion algorithm. Good agreement is shown between the model-computed and the observed reflectances for dense prairie vegetation canopies, a sparse desert scrub community, a plowed agricultural field, and an alkali flat.

Ahmad, Suraiya P.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Shinnery oak bidirectional reflectance properties and canopy model inversion

Field measurements are presented, together with the results of a 3D canopy-model inversion for sand shinnery oak community in western Texas. The spectral bidirectional radiance measurements were in three spectral channels encompassing both the complete land surface and sky hemispheres. The changes in canopy reflectance that occur with variations in solar zenith angle and view direction for two seasons of the year were evaluated, and the 3D radiation-interaction model was inverted to estimate the oak leaf area index and canopy density from the reflectance data.

Deering, Donald W.↗
NASA NTRS1992

The role of specular reflectance in surface anisotropy

For smooth surfaces, specular reflection constitutes a major source of anisotropy in the surface bidirectional reflectance and introduces a strong illumination angle dependence in diurnal albedo. A prior formulation has been employed by the authors to account for the surface anisotropy of other natural surfaces. It is shown that this formulation is appropriate to successfully explain the specular characteristics of other rough surfaces as well as that of the ocean. The angular dependence of the diffuse component of the reflected radiance is explained using the Ahmad-Deering formulation, which is based on Chandrasekhar's radiative transfer solution. Results for a smooth silt-playa lake bed in a volcanic region of Nevada are presented. It is shown that this formulation is capable of explaining the specular features measured in the field and can be effectively used in any surface bidirectional reflectance model.

Ahmad, Suraiya P.↗
NASA NTRS1992

KUREX-91 - A USSR/US study for global climate processes in steppe vegetation

Researchers use satellite remote sensing of the earth's reflected and emitted radiation as correlated indices of the variables they measure on the ground or within the atmosphere. The Kursk 1991 Experiment (KUREX-91) was conducted to develop capabilities for monitoring global change, and to understand how the earth's land-surface vegetation and atmospheric boundary layer interact. The experiment enabled scientific interactions between the international participants, and comparisons of instruments and data. Intensive ground measurements were coordinated with helicopter, aircraft and satellite data acquisitions.

Deering, Donald W.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Spectral bidirectional and hemispherical reflectance characteristics of selected sites in the Streletskaya steppe

Measurements of plant canopy bidirectional reflectance made by the PARABOLA (portable apparatus for rapid acquisition of bidirectional observations of the land and atmosphere) instrument in three spectral bands are analyzed for steppe grassland sites of differing productivity levels. The variation of spectral reflectance and the normalized difference vegetation index in the solar principal plane is presented. Comparisons are made with PARABOLA measurements from selected first ISLSCP field experiment (FIFE) grassland sites in the Konza prairie, Kansas. The Streletskaya steppe sites showed no strong hot spot reflectance, while this effect was present in some FIFE sites but absent in others. The hot spot effect seems to be dependent on canopy geometry and background reflectance characteristics of these sites. Spectral hemispherical reflectance was computed from the angular integration of the bidirectional measurements for the steppe sites. Total shortwave albedo was estimated from these hemispherical reflectance measurements and compared to albedo measured by pyranometers. The albedo estimates from PARABOLA were found to be approximately 12-17 percent higher than the pyranometer measurements.

Eck, Thomas F.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Scattering behavior of Lunar Lake playa determined from parabola bidirectional reflectance data

Bidirectional reflectance data obtained with the Portable Apparatus for Rapid Acquisition of Bidirectional Observations of Land and Atmosphere instrument at Lunar Lake, Nevada, were analyzed to determine the scattering properties of playas. The data are approximated by a Lambertian function, except at high phase angles in the solar principal plane, where Fresnel reflectance appears to dominate. The data also depart slightly (15 percent) from a Lambertian function at high emission angles in all azimuthal planes. No published photometric model accounts for the observed data. It is hypothesized that the observed scattering behavior is the superposition of volume and surface (Fresnel) scattering mechanisms.

Shepard, Michael K.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Application of Hapke photometric model to three geologic surfaces using PARABOLA bidirectional reflection data

The Geologic Remote Sensing Field Experiment (GRSFE) was conducted in July and September of 1989 to collect data with both ground and airborne instrumentation. A major objective of GRSFE was to collect data which could be used to test radiative transfer models for the extraction of composition and textural surface properties from remotely acquired data. Reported here are the initial results from an application of the Hapke photometric model, using data from the Portable Apparatus for Remote Acquisition of Bidirectional Observations of Land and Atmosphere (PARABOLA), a ground based radiometer with three spectral channels. PARABOLA data was collected in the Lunar Crater Volcanic Field in Nevada, specifically from the region of Lunar Lake, a playa. The Hapke model was found to be inadequate for three relatively common geologic surfaces (a clay-rich, hard packed surface with decimeter sized mudcracks; a cobble site, similar to a playa site, but strewn with basaltic cobbles and pebbles; and a surface mantled basalt lava flow). The model is not at fault; rather, the complexity of most geologic surfaces is not accounted for in the initial assumptions.

Shepard, Michael K.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Diurnal patterns of the bi-directional reflectance of fresh-water ice

To improve the interpretation of surface cryospheric albedo from satellite sensor data, diurnal measurements of the spectral bidirectional reflectance of a commonly found fresh water ice type were made, from which hemispherical reflectance can be derived. The purpose of this study is to document its clear-sky, bidirectional reflectance characteristics in the visible (650-670 nm) and near-infrared (810-840 nm) region, assess the diurnal nature of the reflectance, and quantify the surface anisotropy. Bidirectional reflectances of the refrozen slush ice measured show a spectral dependence and change significantly with solar zenith angle. Considerable variation occurs at each view angle and among view angles throughout the day. Although diurnal reflectance patterns were similar in both bands, magnitudes varied greatly, being highest in the visible and lowest in the near-infrared region. With the exception of peak saturated (specular) values in the forward scatter direction, bidirectional reflectance was generally highest in the morning when the surface and the illumination were most diffuse in character.

Leshkevich, George A.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Parabola directional field radiometer for aiding in space sensor data interpretations

A unique field radiometer, called the Parabola, was developed to accurately measure the multidirectional incoming and outgoing spectral radiances for a variety of earth surface types; these range from rangeland vegetation to ice and snow. It is found that bidirectional reflectance characteristics are not constant for a given type of vegetation. There can be substantial changes in the anisotropic expression with changes in the solar zenith angle and vegetation conditions.

Deering, Donald W.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Atmospheric optical depth effects on angular anisotropy of plant canopy reflectance

The effects of varying atmospheric aerosol optical depth on the bidirectional reflectance distribution of vegetation canopies is investigated. The reflectance distributions of two pasture grass canopies and one soya bean canopy under different sky irradiance distributions were measured, and the data were analyzed in the visible and IR spectral bands. It is observed that, for the pasture grass canopies, the change in reflectance is due to the percentage of shadowed area viewed by the sensor, and for the soya bean, the specular reflection effect and increased diffuse irradiance penetration into the canopy cause reflectance changes. It is detected that the reflectivity for the soya bean canopy on a hazy day is lower than on a clear day; however, the opposite change is observed for the pasture grass. It is also detected that the normalized difference vegetation index values differ under clear and hazy conditions for the same vegetation canopy conditions.

Deering, Donald W.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Computation of diffuse sky irradiance from multidirectional radiance measurements

Accurate determination of the diffuse solar spectral irradiance directly above the land surface is important in characterizing the reflectance properties of these surfaces, especially vegetation canopies. This determination is also needed to infer the net radiation budget of the earth-atmosphere system above these surfaces. An algorithm is developed here for the computation of hemispheric diffuse irradiance using the measurements from an instrument called PARABOLA, which rapidly measures upwelling and downwelling radiances in three selected wavelength bands. The validity of the algorithm is established from simulations. The standard reference data set of diffuse radiances of Dave (1978), obtained by solving the radiative transfer equation numerically for realistic atmospheric models, is used to simulate PARABOLA radiances. Hemispheric diffuse irradiance is estimated from a subset of simulated radiances by using the algorithm described. The algorithm is validated by comparing the estimated diffuse irradiance with the true diffuse irradiance of the standard data set. The validations include sensitivity studies for two wavelength bands (visible, 0.65-0.67 micron; near infrared, 0.81-0.84 micron), different atmospheric conditions, solar elevations, and surface reflectances. In most cases the hemispheric diffuse irradiance computed from simulated PARABOLA radiances and the true irradiance obtained from radiative transfer calculations agree within 1-2 percent. This technique can be applied to other sampling instruments designed to estimate hemispheric diffuse sky irradiance.

Ahmad, Suraiya P.↗