Applicability of Skylab remote sensing for detection and monitoring of surface mining activities
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Technical advances and recent applications of active and passive satellite remote sensing techniques to the study of oceanic processes are summarized. The general themes include infrared and visible radiometry, active and passive microwave sensors, and buoy location systems. The surface parameters of sea surface temperature, windstream, sea state, altimetry, color, and ice are treated as applicable under each of the general methods.
Remote sensing research of snow cover has been accomplished for nearly 40 years. The use of visible, near-infrared, active and passive-microwave remote sensing for the analysis of snow cover is reviewed with an emphasis on the work on the last decade.
A feasibility study for the development of a three-dimensional generalized, predictive, analytical model involving remote sensing, in-situ measurements, and an active system to remotely measure turbidity is presented. An implementation plan for the development of the three-dimensional model and for the application of remote sensing of temperature and turbidity measurements is outlined.
A new satellite remote sensing method for estimating the amount of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR, 400-700 nm) incident at the earth's surface is described and tested. Potential incident PAR for clear sky conditions is computed from an existing spectral model. A major advantage of the UV approach over existing visible band approaches to estimating insolation is the improved ability to discriminate clouds from high-albedo background surfaces. UV spectral reflectance data from the Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) were used to test the approach for three climatically distinct, midlatitude locations. Estimates of monthly total incident PAR from the satellite technique differed from values computed from ground-based pyranometer measurements by less than 6 percent. This UV remote sensing method can be applied to estimate PAR insolation over ocean and land surfaces which are free of ice and snow.
Trace gases and their isotopic ratios in planetary atmospheres offer important but subtle clues as to the origins of a planet's atmosphere, hydrology, geology, and potential for biology. An orbiting laser remote sensing instrument is capable of measuring trace gases on a global scale with unprecedented accuracy, and higher spatial resolution that can be obtained by passive instruments. We have developed an active sensing instrument for the remote measurement of trace gases in planetary atmospheres (including Earth). The technique uses widely tunable, seeded optical parametric generation (OPG) to measure methane, CO2, water vapor, and other trace gases in the near and mid-infrared spectral regions. Methane is a strong greenhouse gas on Earth and it is also a potential biogenic marker on Mars and other planets. Methane in the Earth's atmosphere survives for a shorter time than CO2 but its impact on climate change can be larger than CO2. Methane levels have remained relatively constant over the last decade around 1.78 parts per million (ppm) but recent observations indicate that methane levels may be on the rise. Increasing methane concentrations may trigger a positive feedback loop and a subsequent runaway greenhouse effect, where increasing temperatures result in increasing methane levels. The NRC Decadal Survey recognized the importance of global observations of greenhouse gases and called for simultaneous CH4, CO, and CO2 measurements but also underlined the technological limitations for these observations. For Mars, methane measurements are of great interest because of its potential as a strong biogenic marker. A remote sensing instrument that can measure day and night over all seasons and latitudes can identify and localize sources of biogenic gas plumes produced by subsurface chemistry or biology, and aid in the search for extra-terrestrial life. It can identify the dynamics of methane generation over time and latitude and identify future lander mission sites for more detailed in-situ analysis. In this paper we report on remote sensing measurements of methane using a high peak power, widely tunable optical parametric generator (OPG) operating at 3.3 micron and 1.65 micron. The OPG is pumped by a passively q-switched single frequency laser (3ns, 5KHz, 50uJ) and seeded by a diode laser. The spectral width of both signal and idler of seeded OPG is nearly Fourier transform limited. The output of seeded OPG is single frequency with high spectral purity and is widely tunable. Both 1650 nm and 3300 nm can be generated with a conversion efficiency of more than 30%. We have demonstrated detection of methane at 3274 nm and 1650 nm in a cell and also performed open path atmospheric measurements of methane at the same wavelengths. Finally, we were able to demonstrate simultaneous detection of methane at 3270.4 nm and CO2 at 1578.2 nm. In this paper we will discuss the OPG performance and atmospheric open path measurement results.
The author has identified the following significant results. Large areas covered by orbital photography allows the user to estimate the acreage of strip mining activity from a few frames. Infrared photography both in color and in black and white transparencies was found to be the best suited for this purpose.
NASA's scientific expertise and data products are enhancing cities' environmental monitoring activities by pioneering applications of remote sensing and model-based Earth Observations at the urban scale. The above activities have greatly benefitted from engaging stakeholders and city practitioners from the start. Further, NASA's collaborations with cities have: Advanced NASA science, in testing new products and validating of satellite datasets, while meeting the needs of city governments. Broadened Rio de Janeiro's regional viewpoint and strengthened its relationships with neighboring cities. Scientific collaborations with cities benefit from: Selecting city partners with a high level of technical capacity and willing to make strong investments in joint projects. Sustained communication and face-to-face interactions. Well-defined deliverables, with dedicated resources and personnel. Pairing global datasets and projections with in situ measurements and local knowledgeSensitivity to local working culture and politics.
It is apparent that the rate of remote sensing technique development is increasing at a much faster pace than is the rate at which these same techniques are being put to practical use by earth resource managers and inventory specialists. It has become increasingly important to bridge this widening gap between remote sensing specialists and potential users. Members of the University of California project on remote sensing of earth resources have been actively participating in efforts to overcome this gap by maintaining library facilities, disseminating research findings, training remote sensing specialists, and interacting with resource managers.
The primary responsibility within the First International Satellite Land Surface Climatology Project (ISLSCP) Field Experiment (FIFE) for understanding the radiometric properties of the remote sensing instrumentation and the atmospheric optical properties affecting measurements with these instruments rested within the atmospheric corrections and radiometric calibration subgroup of FIFE, called the correction/calibration group for short. Specific activities included (1) calibration of remote sensing instrumentation used on aircraft and surface platforms, (2) formulation of recommendations for calibrating data from satellite sensors, (3) measurement and analysis of atmospheric properties, (4) development and evaluation of radiative transfer algorithms which perform the atmospheric correction of remotely sensed data, and (5) derivation and evaluation of surface properties such as reflectances and temperatures. A review of the activities performed by this group and a discussion of the importance of these activities in retrieving surface parameters is presented here.
A two-variable expansion technique is used to solve for the mean Green's. function from the Dyson equation under the nonlinear approximation. The Bethe-Salpeter equation then gives rise to a set of modified radiative transfer (MRT) equations which accommodate coherent effects essential to bounded media. It is found that the nonlinear approximation, instead of the more popular bilocal approximation, should be used for the case of bounded media. The two approximations yield identical results for unbounded media. The MRT equations are then solved for a two-layer random medium. The MRT equations give rise to simple and useful solutions which are applicable to both active and passive microwave remote sensing.
Both manually collected snow-course data and telemetered information from SNOTEL sites throughout the western United States are used to make forecasts of streamflow. Although these conventional methods have proven highly reliable over the years, they still exhibit some shortcomings. Active and passive microwave remote sensing systems recently developed and tests present the potential to eliminate some negative aspects associated with other types of sensors currently in use. Because of their ability to see through the snowpack they offer a unique opportunity to improve snowpack measurement techniques. As yet neither the active nor passive system is developed sufficiently to supplant existing methods in operational telemetry networks. Active microwave sensors are the most promising for the near future and are being used in research and development programs to study snow pillow performance in the SNOTEL system.
These Proceedings contain papers presented at the Eighth International Symposium on Remote Sensing of Environment, held October 2nd through 6th, 1972, on the campus of the University of Michigan. The symposium was conducted by the Center for Remote Sensing Information and Analysis of the Environmental Research Institute of Michigan (formerly the University of Michigan's Willow Run Laboratories) as a part of a continuing program investigating current activities in the field of remote sensing. Presentations include those on the use of this technology by regional governmental units and by federal governmental agencies, as well as various applications in monitoring and managing the earth's resources and man's global environment. Ground-based, airborne, and spaceborne sensor systems and manual and machine-assisted data analysis and interpretation are included.
Spaceborne microwave remote sensors provide perspectives of the earth surface and atmosphere which are of unique value in scientific studies of geomorphology, oceanic waves and topography, atmospheric water vapor and temperatures, vegetation classification and stress, ice types and dynamics, and hydrological characteristics. Microwave radars and radiometers offer enhanced sensitivities to the geometrical characteristics of the earth's surface and its cover, to water in all its forms - soil and vegetation moisture, ice, wetlands, oceans, and atmospheric water vapor, and can provide high-resolution imagery of the earth's surface independent of cloud cover or sun angle. A brief review of the historical development and principles of active and passive microwave remote sensing is presented, with emphasis on the unique characteristics of the information obtainable in the microwave spectrum and the value of this information to global geoscientific studies. Various spaceborne microwave remote sensors are described, with applications to geology, planetology, oceanography, glaciology, land biology, meteorology, and hydrology. A discussion of future microwave remote sensor technological developments and challenges is presented, along with a summary of future missions being planned by several countries.
Trans-boundary biomass burning smoke episodes have increased dramatically during the past 20-30 years and have become an annual phenomenon in the South‐East‐Asia region. On 15th October 2010, elevated levels of fire activity were detected by remote sensing satellites (e.g. MODIS). On the same date, measurements of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) at Singapore and Malaysia found high levels of fine mode particles in the local environment. All these observations were indicative of the initial onset of a smoke episode that lasted for several days. In this work, we investigate the temporal evolution of this smoke episode by analyzing the physical and optical properties of smoke particles with the aid of an AERONET Sun photometer, an MPLNet micropulse lidar, and surface PM2.5 measurements. Elevated levels of fire activity coupled with high aerosol optical depth and PM2.5 were observed over a period of nine days. Increased variability of parameters such as aerosol optical depth, Angstrom exponent number and its fine mode equivalents all indicated high levels of fine particulate presence in the atmosphere. Smoke particle growth due to aging, coagulation and condensation mechanisms was detected during the afternoons and over several days. Retrieved lidar ratios were compatible with the presence of fine particulate within the boundary/aerosol layer. Moreover, retrieved particle size distribution as well as single scattering albedo indicated the prevalence of the fine mode particulate regime as well as particles showing enhanced levels of absorption respectively.