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At least 325 records · Page 18

Remote Sensing Program

Field spectroradiometric and airborne multispectral scanner data were related to vineyard yield and other agronomic variables in an attempt to determine the optimum wavelengths for yield prediction modeling. Reflections between vine canopy reflectance and several management practices were also considered. Spectral analysis of test vines found that, although some correlations with vine yield were significant, they were inadequate for producing a yield prediction model. The findings also indicate that the vines examined through the field spectroradiometers were not truly representative. Geologic linears identified from aerial photographys, LANDSAT images, and maps were compared to gas well locations in three New York' counties. Correlations were found between the dominant trends in regional liners and gas field boundaries and trends. Other projects being conducted under the grant include determining vegetable acreage in mucklands, site selection for windmills, spectral effects of sulfur dioxide, and screening tomato seedlings for salt tolerance.

Philipson, W. R.↗

LANDSAT applications by the Adirondack Park Agency for land cover analyses and forest cover change

The New York State Adirondack Park Agency is using LANDSAT imagery to provide current, consistent parkwide data on forest cover, forest change and other land cover characteristics for the Adirondack Park, an area of 9,375 sq. miles (24,280 sq km). Boundaries of the study area were digitized and the data were enhanced and geographically rectified. A classification scheme was devised which emphasized the basic land cover types of the Park: hardwoods, spruce-fir, pine, wet conifer, brushland, grassland, agricultural areas, exposed earth, urban areas, and water bodies. Cover type classifications for disturbed forest land were also chosen: cut hardwoods, regenerating hardwoods, and cut spruce fir. Field verification of 1978 classification revealed an accurate differentiation of forest types within types and between nonforested/forested areas. The classification accurately detects forest land disturbances; however, it is not always descriptive of the level of disturbance.

Banta, J. S.↗

The useful potential of using existing data to uniquely identify predictable wind events and regimes, part 1

Correlations between standard meteorological data and wind power generation potential were developed. Combined with appropriate wind forecasts, these correlations can be useful to load dispatchers to supplement conventional energy sources. Hourly wind data were analyzed for four sites, each exhibiting a unique physiography. These sites are Amarillo, Texas; Ludington, Michigan; Montauk Point, New York; and San Gorgonio, California. Synoptic weather maps and tables are presented to illustrate various wind 'regimes' at these sites.

Trettel, D. W.↗

Remote sensing program

Built on Cornell's thirty years of experience in aerial photographic studies, the NASA-sponsored remote sensing program strengthened instruction and research in remote sensing, established communication links within and beyond the university community, and conducted research projects for or with town, county, state, federal, and private organizations in New York State. The 43 completed applied research projects are listed as well as 13 spinoff grants/contracts. The curriculum offered, consultations provided, and data processing facilities available are described. Publications engendered are listed including the thesis of graduates in the remote sensing program.

Philipson, W. R.↗

Wind shear and vortex wake research in UK, 1982

A wind shear and vortex wake and their impact on aircraft were investigated. The systems and advice to help pilots, and rational scientific methods to assist in advising certification authorities and those interested in improving flight safety were developed. Wind Shear and Vortex Wakes are related, they are both invisible enemies of aircraft in the form of large disturbances in the atmosphere, both cause major accidents. Problems of building wakes at airports are is considered. Research on wind shear was initiated by the American FAA following the Boston, New York and Denver accidents to civil airliners. This resulted in: useful advice to pilots about wind shear; better attempts by the meteorologists at forecasting wind shear conditions; and useful ideas for wind shear measurement and warning systems. Three major research tasks are outstanding: (1) Worldwide measurements to give reliable estimates of probability and details of the forms of large wind shears; (2) Developments of real time wind shear measuring systems for ground or airborne use; and (3) Establishing relationships between measured wind shear and the potential hazard to an aircraft, or class of aircraft.

Alan A. Woodfield↗

Developing lake sampling strategies with existing Landsat data

On the basis of the assumptions that Landsat image densities relate to water quality, that lake densities can be modeled, and that homogeneous water quality areas can therefore be predicted, a method is developed for the selection of optimum water quality sampling locations on Oneida Lake in central New York. Patterns of Oneida Lake density on 24 Landsat band 5 images were traced from the screen of a density slicer, and the lake was gridded into 161 1.25 X 1.25-km cells, with image density levels encoded for each cell. Cell density levels were then employed as the dependent variable in correlations and multiple regression equations with degree days, resultant wind speed, and resultant direction. Cell density levels were averaged over two-week periods, and the averages were correlated with water quality measurements.

Philipson, W. R.↗

Short-period atmospheric gravity waves - A study of their statistical properties and source mechanisms

Gravity waves for the one year period beginning 19 October 1976 around Palisades, New York, are investigated to determine their statistical properties and sources. The waves have typical periods of 10 min, pressure amplitudes of 3 Pa and velocities of 30 m/s. In general, the largest, amplitude waves occur during late fall and early winter when the upper tropospheric winds directly overhead are fastest and the static stability of the lower troposphere is greatest. Mean wave amplitudes correlate highly with the product of the mean maximum wind speed and the mean low level stratification directly aloft. A distinct diurnal variation of wave amplitudes with the largest waves occurring in the pre-dawn hours is also observed as a result of the increased static stability then. The majority of waves are generated by shear instability; however, a number of waves are generated by distant sources such as nuclear detonations or large thunderstorms. The waves with distant sources can be distinguished on the basis of their generally much higher coherency across the grid and velocities that depart markedly from the wind velocity at any point in the sounding.

Gedzelman, S. D.↗

An analysis of Seasat SAR for detecting geologic linears

The value of Seasat synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery for detecting geologic linears was assessed in a study of an 89,000 sq km section of New York's Adirondack Mountains. A photographic print of optically processed, 1:500,000 scale SAR imagery (one look direction) was analyzed visually, and the detected linears were compared to those recorded on a 1:250,000 scale geologic map. Eighty percent of the 4,170 km of mapped, geologic linears were detected with the SAR imagery. Moreover, nearly 6,900 km of unmapped linears were also detected. Of these, an estimated 90 percent could be observed on high altitude aerial photographs. The relationship between SAR image detection of linears and the different types of indicators (e.g., straight valleys or shorelines) is reported.

Yan, S.-Y.↗

Ion cyclotron waves as a possible source of resonant auroral radar echoes

Some auroral radar Doppler data which show the presence of spectra not previously discussed are described. The data were obtained during highly distributed magnetic conditions with a relatively small 50 MHz radar pointed northeast of Ithaca, New York. The data are characterized by strong discrete echoes and display spectral peaks which are even narrower than type 1 and are centered at a considerably smaller Doppler shift. These echoes were present simultaneously with and adjacent in range to the commonly observed auroral spectra, and were probably obtained from a height of about 140 km or higher, well above the center of the auroral electrojet. The results are compared with existing electrojet instability theories, and other plasma instabilities which might be important are discussed. The Doppler shift suggests that the narrow spectra might be caused by ion cyclotron waves generated by field-aligned currents, but the observations cannot be fully explained by any of the theories.

Fejer, B. G.↗

Structure and Growth of the Marine Boundary Layer

LANDSAT visible imagery and a one-dimensional Lagrangian boundary layer model were used to hypothesize the nature and the development of the marine boundary layer during a winter episode of strong seaward cold air advection. Over-water heating and moistening of the cold, dry continental air is estimable from linear relations involving horizontal gradients of the near-surface air temperature and humidity. A line of enhanced convection paralleling the Atlantic U.S. coast from south of New York Bay to the vicinity of Virginia Beach, VA was attributed to stronger convergence at low levels. This feature was characterized as a mesoscale front. With the assistance of a three-dimensional mesoscale boundary layer model, initialized with data obtained from the MASEX, the marine boundary layer can be mapped over the entire Atlantic coastal domain and the evolution of the boundary layer can be studied as a function of different characteristics of important surface level forcings. The effects on boundary layer growth due to the magnitude and pattern of sea surface temperature, to the shape of the coastline, and to atmospheric conditions, such as the orientation of the prevailing wind are examined.

Mccumber, M.↗

Measurements of thermospheric response to auroral activities

The Joule heating produced by auroral electrojets and its thermospheric response can be studied by monitoring the thermospheric temperatures by optical methods; simultaneously, the concurrent auroral electrojet activities can be investigated by using geomagnetic records obtained from stations along a meridian close to the observation site of optical measurements. The measurements are reported of thermospheric response to auroral activities which were made at Albany (42.68 deg N, 73.82 deg W), New York on September 2, 1978 (UT) when an isolated substorm occured. The thermospheric temperatures were measured by using a high resolution Fabry-Perot interferometer that determines the line profiles of the (OI) 6300A line emission. The intensities and latitudinal positions of auroral electrojets were obtained by the analysis of magnetograms from the IMS Fort Churchill meridian chain stations.

Okano, S.↗

Use of induced fluorescence measurements to assess aluminum-organic interactions in acidified lakes

The application of laser fluorosensing to the tracing of metals in acid lakes is proposed. The effects of the metals on the dissolving organic carbon (DOC) fluorescence is studied using laboratory mixed water samples and natural water samples from Hamilton and Big Moose Lakes in New York. The operation of the laser fluorosensing system employed in the experiment is described. The DOC fluorescence was quenched by Al, Cu, and Fe, and the relation between pH and the quenching rate is examined. The humic substances fluorescence spectra are analyzed to estimate the concentrations of DOC in water and the relative concentration of Al. The interference problems caused by chemical competition between metal ions and ligands, and changes in the background DOC fluorescence are discussed. It is noted that an airborne laser fluorescence is useful for detecting elevated concentrations of metals.

Vodacek, A.↗

Hydrodynamics of internal solitons and a comparison of SIR-A and SIR-B data with ocean measurements

Large internal solitary waves have been observed by Shuttle SIR-A and SIR-B at locations in the Andaman Sea and the New York Bight. Satellite imagery and oceanographic measurements are used in conjunction with hydrodynamic interaction and electromagnetic scattering models to estimate the expected SAR image intensity modulations associated with the internal waves. There is reasonable agreement between the predicted and observed internal wave signatures.

Apel, J. R.↗

The structure of the unstable marine boundary layer viewed by lidar and aircraft observations

The marine atmospheric boundary layer (MABL) during a cold-air outbreak off the Atlantic coast between New York and Virginia on January 20, 1983 is characterized on the basis of airborne lidar observations, vertical soundings (potential temperature, vapor mixing ratio, relative humidity, and wind), and horizontal (770-m) temperature records. The data are presented in tables and graphs and analyzed in detail. The organization of the MABL is defined by 1-2-km-scale roll vortices with up and downdrafts of 2-4 m/s at 210 m; north-south orientation of the roll axes (parallel to the low-level winds); rising arms coinciding with updrafts rich in moisture, aerosols, and heat; and 150-200-m (peak-to-trough) undulations of the inversion. Consideration is given to problems inherent in the interpretation of lidar data for MABL studies.

Atlas, D.↗

Ocean color spectral variability studies using solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence

It is suggested that chlorophyll-induced ocean color spectral variability can be studied using only a passive airborne spectroradiometer instrument, with solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence used as the standard against which all correlations are performed. The intraspectral correlation (ISC) method is demonstrated with results obtained during an airborne mapping mission in the New York Bight. The curvature algorithm is applied to the solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence at about 690 nm, and good agreement is found with results obtained using active-passive correlation spectroscopy. The ISC method has application to spectral variability and resulting chlorophyll concentration measurement in different environmental conditions and in different water types.

Hoge, Frank E.↗

CZCS view of an oceanic acid waste dump

Plumes from the acid waste dump in the New York Bight were visible in all nine cloud-free Coastal Zone Color Scanner images from April and May 1981. The CZCS subsurface radiance channels displayed consistent spectral characteristics, which consisted of a strong increase in the 550 nm channel and a moderate increase in the 520 nm channel relative to the surrounding coastal waters. The 443 nm channel showed no change or a slight decrease in radiance within the plumes. These anomalous radiances preclude the calculation of pigment in the dump plumes using existing algorithms. However, the high radiances of the 550 nm channel can be used to examine the flow patterns of surface water in the vicinity of the dump.

Elrod, Jane A.↗

U-Pb zircon geochronology and evolution of some Adirondack meta-igneous rocks

An update was presented of the recent U-Pb isotope geochronology and models for evolution of some of the meta-igneous rocks of the Adirondacks, New York. Uranium-lead zircon data from charnockites and mangerites and on baddeleyite from anorthosite suggest that the emplacement of these rocks into a stable crust took place in the range 1160 to 1130 Ma. Granulite facies metamorphism was approximately 1050 Ma as indicated by metamorphic zircon and sphene ages of the anorthosite and by development of magmatitic alaskitic gneiss. The concentric isotherms that are observed in this area are due to later doming. However, an older contact metamorphic aureole associated with anorthosite intrusion is observed where wollastonite develops in metacarbonates. Zenoliths found in the anorthosite indicate a metamorphic event prior to anorthosite emplacement. The most probable mechanism for anorthosite genesis is thought to be ponding of gabbroic magmas at the Moho. The emplacement of the anorogenic anorthosite-mangerite-charnockite suite was apparently bracketed by compressional orogenies.

Mclelland, J. M.↗

Post-metamorphic fluid infiltration into granulites from the Adirondack Mountains, USA

Post-metamorphic effects in the anorthosites of the Adirondacks, New York were described. Calcite-chlorite-sericite assemblages occur as veins, in disseminated form and as clots, and document retrograde fluid infiltration. These features are associated with late-state CO2-rich fluid inclusions. Stable isotope analyses of calcites indicates that the retrograde fluids interacted with meta-igneous and supracrustal lithologies, but the precise timing of the retrogression is as yet unknown.

Morrison, J.↗