Engineering topics

Kerr, Yann H.

Publications and source records attributed to Kerr, Yann H..

8 records

NASA NTRS2013

Clarifications on the "Comparison Between SMOS, VUA, ASCAT, and ECMWF Soil Moisture Products Over Four Watersheds in U.S."

In a recent paper, Leroux et al. compared three satellite soil moisture data sets (SMOS, AMSR-E, and ASCAT) and ECMWF forecast soil moisture data to in situ measurements over four watersheds located in the United States. Their conclusions stated that SMOS soil moisture retrievals represent "an improvement [in RMSE] by a factor of 2-3 compared with the other products" and that the ASCAT soil moisture data are "very noisy and unstable." In this clarification, the analysis of Leroux et al. is repeated using a newer version of the ASCAT data and additional metrics are provided. It is shown that the ASCAT retrievals are skillful, although they show some unexpected behavior during summer for two of the watersheds. It is also noted that the improvement of SMOS by a factor of 2-3 mentioned by Leroux et al. is driven by differences in bias and only applies relative to AMSR-E and the ECWMF data in the now obsolete version investigated by Leroux et al.

Scattering↗

NASA NTRS2012

SMOS L1C and L2 Validation in Australia

Extensive airborne field campaigns (Australian Airborne Cal/val Experiments for SMOS - AACES) were undertaken during the 2010 summer and winter seasons of the southern hemisphere. The purpose of those campaigns was the validation of the Level 1c (brightness temperature) and Level 2 (soil moisture) products of the ESA-led Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) mission. As SMOS is the first satellite to globally map L-band (1.4GHz) emissions from the Earth?s surface, and the first 2-dimensional interferometric microwave radiometer used for Earth observation, large scale and long-term validation campaigns have been conducted world-wide, of which AACES is the most extensive. AACES combined large scale medium-resolution airborne L-band and spectral observations, along with high-resolution in-situ measurements of soil moisture across a 50,000km2 area of the Murrumbidgee River catchment, located in south-eastern Australia. This paper presents a qualitative assessment of the SMOS brightness temperature and soil moisture products.

Rudiger, Christoph↗

NASA NTRS2004

Comparison of Model Prediction with Measurements of Galactic Background Noise at L-Band

The spectral window at L-band (1.413 GHz) is important for passive remote sensing of surface parameters such as soil moisture and sea surface salinity that are needed to understand the hydrological cycle and ocean circulation. Radiation from celestial (mostly galactic) sources is strong in this window and an accurate accounting for this background radiation is often needed for calibration. Modem radio astronomy measurements in this spectral window have been converted into a brightness temperature map of the celestial sky at L-band suitable for use in correcting passive measurements. This paper presents a comparison of the background radiation predicted by this map with measurements made with several modem L-band remote sensing radiometers. The agreement validates the map and the procedure for locating the source of down-welling radiation.

LeVine, David M.↗

NASA NTRS2004

Comparison of Measured Galactic Background Radiation at L-Band with Model

Radiation from the celestial sky in the spectral window at 1.413 GHz is strong and an accurate accounting of this background radiation is needed for calibration and retrieval algorithms. Modern radio astronomy measurements in this window have been converted into a brightness temperature map of the celestial sky at L-band suitable for such applications. This paper presents a comparison of the background predicted by this map with the measurements of several modern L-band remote sensing radiometer Keywords-Galactic background, microwave radiometry; remote sensing;

LeVine, David M.↗

NASA NTRS1991

Microwave Brightness Of Land Surfaces From Outer Space

Mathematical model approximates microwave radiation emitted by land surfaces traveling to microwave radiometer in outer space. Applied to measurements made by Scanning Multichannel Microwave Radiometer (SMMR). Developed for interpretation of microwave imagery of Earth to obtain distributions of various chemical, physical, and biological characteristics across its surface. Intended primarily for use in mapping moisture content of soil and fraction of Earth covered by vegetation. Advanced Very-High-Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR), provides additional information on vegetative cover, thereby making possible retrieval of soil-moisture values from SMMR measurements. Possible to monitor changes of land surface during intervals of 5 to 10 years, providing significant data for mathematical models of evolution of climate.

Kerr, Yann H.↗

NASA NTRS1991

On the use of passive microwaves at 37 GHz

Recently a number of studies have been presented on the use of the 37 GHz channels of the Scanning Multichannel Microwave Radiometer (SMMR) on board the Nimbus 7 satellite, and on the synergisms between the SNMMR and the AVHRR (Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer). The approaches are interesting but raise a number of questions on the validity of the interpretation of the results. A study to analyze the Microwave Polarization Difference Temperature (MPDT) in terms of sensitivity to surface and atmospheric parameters is presented. For this a radiative transfer model is used so as to depict the shortcomings of this index. Another approach, using lower frequencies is described and compared to the 37 GHz MPDT.

Kerr, Yann H.↗

NASA NTRS1990

A semiempirical model for interpreting microwave emission from semiarid land surfaces as seen from space

A radiative-transfer model for simulating microwave brightness temperatures over land surfaces is described. The model takes into account sensor viewing conditions (spacecraft altitude, viewing angle, frequency, and polarization) and atmospheric parameters over a soil surface characterized by its moisture, roughness, and temperature and covered with a layer of vegetation characterized by its temperature, water content, single scattering albedo, structure, and percent coverage. In order to reduce the influence of atmospheric and surface temperature effects, the brightness temperatures are expressed as polarization ratios that depend primarily on the soil moisture and roughness, canopy water content, and percentage of cover. The sensitivity of the polarization ratio to these parameters is investigated. Simulation of the temporal evolution of the microwave signal over semiarid areas in the African Sahel is presented and compared to actual satellite data from the SMMR instrument on Nimbus-7.

Kerr, Yann H.↗

NASA NTRS1989

NOAA AVHRR and its uses for rainfall and evapotranspiration monitoring

NOAA-7 Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) Global Vegetation Indices (GVI) were used during the 1986 rainy season (June-September) over Senegal to monitor rainfall. The satellite data were used in conjunction with ground-based measurements so as to derive empirical relationships between rainfall and GVI. The regression obtained was then used to map the total rainfall corresponding to the growing season, yielding good results. Normalized Difference Vegetation Indices (NDVI) derived from High Resolution Picture Transmission (HRPT) data were also compared with actual evapotranspiration (ET) data and proved to be closely correlated with it with a time lapse of 20 days.

Kerr, Yann H.↗