The Solid Earth Research Virtual Observatory: A web-based system for modeling multi-scale earthquake processes
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Engineering topics
Publications and source records attributed to Grant, L..
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The objective of this project is to produce a system to fully model earthquake-related data. This task develops simulation and analysis tools to study the physics of earthquakes using state-of-the-art modeling.
Beryllium materials have been used for many aerospace applications over the years. Most of these applications have been fairly ambient environments. The possibility of fabricating beryllium panels for high temperature applications up to 1200 F is investigated. Joining alloys were reviewed, tested and evaluated for high temperature applications.
A polarization photometer has been developed for rapidly determining the bidirectional, polarized, and diffuse light-scattering properties of individual leavs illuminated and measured 'in vivo' at an angle of 55 deg (approximately Brewster's angle) in six wavelength bands in the visible and near-IR wavelength regions. The optical performance and data quality of the system are evaluated to estimate the magnitude of the variation in the data attributable to the instrument system and to measurement procedures. The potential to discriminate between three species of oak is demonstrated using data acquired by the polarization photometer. The instrument is being used to increase understanding of the radiation transfer process in plant canopies and specifically to determine how agronomic information of the physical and chemical processes in leaves, plants, and plant canopies is expressed in these light-scattering properties.
A model is derived for the amount of light specularly reflected and polarized by a plant canopy. The model is based on the morphological and phenological characteristics of the canopy and upon the Fresnel equations of optics. The theory demonstrates that the specular reflectance of the plant canopy is a function of the angle of incidence and potentially contains information to help discriminate between species. The theory relates the specular reflectance to botanical condition of the canopy - to factors such as development stage, plant vigor, and leaf area index (LAI).
Using polarization measurements, the reflectance factor of two wheat canopies is divided into components due to specularly and diffusely reflected light. The data show that two key angles may be predicted, the angle of the polarizer for minimum flux and the angle of incidence of sunlight specularly reflected by a leaf to a sensor. The results show that specular reflection is a key aspect to radiation transfer by two canopies. Results suggest that the advent of heading in wheat may be remotely sensed from polarization measurements of the canopy reflectance.
The potential information in polarization data of both single leaves and plant canopies is investigated. Measurements demonstrate the relationship between polarization data and various optical and botanical properties of both pieces of foliage and plant canopies. The results provide a basis for gaining fundamental understanding of how light is scattered and polarized by a plant canopy. The results show the polarized and nonpolarized portions of the light scattered by a remotely sensed ground scene potentially are independent sources of information for discriminating species and assessing the condition of plant canopies.
An alternative explanation is offered for the redshift (an abrupt change in the ratio of scattering to absorption in the radiance spectra of heading canopies of such crops as wheat and grain sorghum). The shift occurs abruptly at wavelengths near the red-infrared boundary towards the longer wavelengths. The new explanation, following that of Collins (1978) and Schutt et al. (1984), is based on one particular architectural change that occurs in any heading plant canopy. Specifically, the newly extended heads alter the interaction between light and the established foliage. The heads reduce the amount of sunlight striking the topmost leaves which are generally comparatively good specular reflectors. The heads also reduce the ability to observe the specularly reflecting leaves. The reduction in the amplitude of the radiance (due to decreased specularly reflected light) at heading appears to be a shift in the wavelength of the red edge. It is proposed that vertical (amplitude) shifts - due to changes in the amount of specularly reflected light as a function of heading - have been misinterpreted as horizontal (wavelength) shifts due in part to the characteristic shape of the radiance curve at the red edge.
Efforts in measuring, analyzing, and mathematically modeling the specular, polarized, and diffuse light scattering properties of several plant canopies and their component parts (leaves, stems, fruit, soil) as a function of view angle and illumination angle are reported. Specific objectives were: (1) to demonstrate a technique for determining the specular and diffuse components of the reflectance factor of plant canopies; (2) to acquire the measurements and begin assembling a data set for developing and testing canopy reflectance models; (3) to design and build a new optical instrument to measure the light scattering properties of individual leaves; and (4) to use this instrument to survey and investigate the information in the light scattering properties of individual leaves of crops, forests, weeds, and horticulture.
Progress and results in the measurement and scattering properties of crop canopies was examined. The following accomplishments are reported: (1) analysis of inhouse polarization, Sun/view angle data set of wheat was completed; (2) polarization photometer instrument system was completed; (3) light polarization properties (measured with polarization photometer) of individual plant leaves initiated, and twenty two species/varieties were measured before frost; (4) light polarizing properties of both moisture-stressed corn leaves and diseased wheat leaves were measured; (5) Sun/view angle data and ancillary data were acquired on two wheat canopies on two dates and on one sorghum canopy on two adjacent days.
The contributions of diffuse and specular reflection to the total canopy reflection of sunlight are determined experimentally for wheat at two stages of development using spectroradiometer measurements obtained at 13 wavelengths in the 480-720-nm range with a polarizing film in maximum and minimum signal-amplitude positions. The data and computation techniques are presented in tables, diagrams, and graphs, and the need to take specular reflection into account in constructing models of light/canopy interaction is stressed.