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At least 757 records · Page 42

Inversion Schemes to Retrieve Atmospheric and Oceanic Parameters from SeaWiFS Data

Firstly, we have analyzed atmospheric transmittance and sky radiance data connected at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography pier, La Jolla during the winters of 1993 and 1994. Aerosol optical thickness at 870 nm was generally low in La Jolla, with most values below 0.1 after correction for stratospheric aerosols. For such low optical thickness, variability in aerosol scattering properties cannot be determined, and a mean background model, specified regionally under stable stratospheric component, may be sufficient for ocean color remote sensing, from space. For optical thicknesses above 0. 1, two modes of variability characterized by Angstrom exponents of 1.2 and 0.5 and corresponding, to Tropospheric and Maritime models, respectively, were identified in the measurements. The aerosol models selected for ocean color remote sensing, allowed one to fit, within measurement inaccuracies, the derived values of Angstrom exponent and 'pseudo' phase function (the product of single scattering albedo and phase function), key atmospheric correction parameters. Importantly, the 'pseudo' phase function can be derived from measurements of the Angstrom exponent. Shipborne sun photometer measurements at the time of satellite overpass are usually sufficient to verify atmospheric correction for ocean color.

Frouin, Robert↗

Downscaling Atmosphere-Ocean Global Climate Model Precipitation Simulations over Africa Using Bias-Corrected Lateral and Lower Boundary Conditions

A prequel study showed that dynamic downscaling using a regional climate model (RCM) over Africa improved the Goddard Institute for Space Studies Atmosphere-Ocean Global Climate Model (GISS AOGCM: ModelE) simulation of June–September rainfall patterns over Africa. The current study applies bias corrections to the lateral and lower boundary data from the AOGCM driving the RCM, based on the comparison of a 30-year simulation to the actual climate. The analysis examines the horizontal pattern of June–September total accumulated precipitation, the time versus latitude evolution of zonal mean West Africa (WA) precipitation (showing monsoon onset timing), and the latitude versus altitude cross-section of zonal winds over WA (showing the African Easterly Jet and the Tropical Easterly Jet). The study shows that correcting for excessively warm AOGCM Atlantic sea-surface temperatures (SSTs) improves the simulation of key features, whereas applying 30-year mean bias corrections to atmospheric variables driving the RCM at the lateral boundaries does not improve the RCM simulations. We suggest that AOGCM climate projections for Africa should benefit from downscaling by nesting an RCM that has demonstrated skill in simulating African climate, driven with bias-corrected SST.

West African monsoon↗

Spectral Ratio Imaging with Hyperion Satellite Data for Geological Mapping

Since the advent of LANDSAT I in 1972, many different multispectral satellites have been orbited by the U.S. and other countries. These satellites have varied from 4 spectral bands in LANDSAT I to 14 spectral bands in the ASTER sensor aboard the TERRA space platform. Hyperion is a relatively new hyperspectral sensor with over 220 spectral bands. The huge increase in the number of spectral bands offers a substantial challenge to computers and analysts alike when it comes to the task of mapping features on the basis of chemical composition, especially if little or no ground truth is available beforehand from the area being mapped. One approach is the theoretical approach of the modeler, where all extraneous information (atmospheric attenuation, sensor electronic gain and offset, etc.) is subtracted off and divided out, and laboratory (or field) spectra of materials are used as training sets to map features in the scene of similar composition. This approach is very difficult to keep accurate because of variations in the atmosphere, solar illumination, and sensor electronic gain and offset that are not always perfectly recorded or accounted for. For instance, to apply laboratory or field spectra of materials as data sets from the theoretical approach, the header information of the files must reflect the correct, up-to-date sensor electronic gain and offset and the analyst must pick the exact atmospheric model that is appropriate for the day of data collection in order for classification procedures to accurately match pixels in the scene with the laboratory or field spectrum of a desired target on the basis of the hyperspectral data. The modeling process is so complex that it is difficult to tell when it is operating well or determine how to fix it when it is incorrect. Recently RSI has announced that the latest version of their ENVI software package is not performing atmospheric corrections correctly with the FLAASH atmospheric model. It took a long time to determine that it was wrong, and may take an equally long time (or longer) to fix.

Vincent, Robert K.↗

Multidimensional Modeling of Atmospheric Effects and Surface Heterogeneities on Remote Sensing

The overall goal of this project is to establish a modeling capability that allows a quantitative determination of atmospheric effects on remote sensing including the effects of surface heterogeneities. This includes an improved understanding of aerosol and haze effects in connection with structural, angular, and spatial surface heterogeneities. One important objective of the research is the possible identification of intrinsic surface or canopy characteristics that might be invariant to atmospheric perturbations so that they could be used for scene identification. Conversely, an equally important objective is to find a correction algorithm for atmospheric effects in satellite-sensed surface reflectances. The technical approach is centered around a systematic model and code development effort based on existing, highly advanced computer codes that were originally developed for nuclear radiation shielding applications. Computational techniques for the numerical solution of the radiative transfer equation are adapted on the basis of the discrete-ordinates finite-element method which proved highly successful for one and two-dimensional radiative transfer problems with fully resolved angular representation of the radiation field.

Gerstl, S. A. W.↗

Assessment of Mars Exploration Rover landing site predictions.

Comprehensive analyses of remote sensing data during the three-year effort to select the Mars Exploration Rover landing sites at Gusev crater and at Meridiani Planum correctly predicted the atmospheric density profile during entry and descent and the safe and trafficable surfaces explored by the two rovers. The Gusev crater site was correctly predicted to be a low-relief surface that was less rocky than the Viking landing sites but comparably dusty. A dark, lowalbedo, flat plain composed of basaltic sand and haematite with very few rocks was expected and found at Meridiani Planum. These results argue that future efforts to select safe landing sites based on existing and acquired remote sensing data will be successful. In contrast, geological interpretations of the sites based on remote sensing data were less certain and less successful, which emphasizes the inherent ambiguities in understanding surface geology from remotely sensed data and the uncertainty in predicting exactly what materials will be available for study at a landing site.

Zurek, R. W.↗

Performance tests of signature extension algorithms

Comparative tests were performed on seven signature extension algorithms to evaluate their effectiveness in correcting for changes in atmospheric haze and sun angle in a LANDSAT scene. Four of the algorithms were cluster matching, and two were maximum likelihood algorithms. The seventh algorithm determined the haze level in both training and recognition segments and used a set of tables calculated from an atmospheric model to determine the affine transformation that corrects the training signatures for changes in sun angle and haze level. Three of the algorithms were tested on a simulated data set, and all of the algorithms were tested on consecutive-day data.

Abotteen, R. A.↗

Performance tests of signature extension algorithms

Comparative tests were performed on seven signature extension algorithms to evaluate their effectiveness in correcting for changes in atmospheric haze and sun angle in a Landsat scene. Four of the algorithms were cluster matching, and two were maximum likelihood algorithms. The seventh algorithm determined the haze level in both training and recognition segments and used a set of tables calculated from an atmospheric model to determine the affine transformation that corrects the training signatures for changes in sun angle and haze level. Three of the algorithms were tested on a simulated data set, and all of the algorithms were tested on consecutive-day data. The classification performance on the data sets using the algorithms is presented, along with results of statistical tests on the accuracy and proportion estimates. The three algorithms tested on the simulated data produced significant improvements over the results obtained using untransformed signatures. For the consecutive-day data, the tested algorithms produced improvements in most but not all cases. The tests indicated also that no statistically significant differences were noted among the algorithms.

Abotteen, R.↗

Sea ice-atmosphere interaction. Application of multispectral satellite data in polar surface energy flux estimates

Satellite data for the estimation of radiative and turbulent heat fluxes is becoming an increasingly important tool in large-scale studies of climate. One parameter needed in the estimation of these fluxes is surface temperature. To our knowledge, little effort has been directed to the retrieval of the sea ice surface temperature (IST) in the Arctic, an area where the first effects of a changing climate are expected to be seen. The reason is not one of methodology, but rather our limited knowledge of atmospheric temperature, humidity, and aerosol profiles, the microphysical properties of polar clouds, and the spectral characteristics of the wide variety of surface types found there. We have developed a means to correct for the atmospheric attenuation of satellite-measured clear sky brightness temperatures used in the retrieval of ice surface temperature from the split-window thermal channels of the advanced very high resolution radiometer (AVHRR) sensors on-board three of the NOAA series satellites. These corrections are specified for three different 'seasons' and as a function of satellite viewing angle, and are expected to be applicable to the perennial ice pack in the central Arctic Basin.

Steffen, Konrad↗

Type 1 Cosmic Spherules: Key to a Major, But Poorly Sampled, Asteroid Population?

Herzog et al. have determined Fe, Ni, and Cr abundances in Type I cosmic spherules recovered from the deep sea, and also the isotopic fractionation of these elements during passage of the spherules through the terrestrial atmosphere. Isotopic fractionation for all three elements is typically large, approx.16%(sigma)/amu, corresponding to evaporative mass losses of approx.80-85%, assuming Rayleigh distillation from an open system. The corrected, pre-atmospheric, Cr/Ni and Fe/Ni ratios are shown in Figure 1, where they are compared to these ratios in bulk chondrites and chondritic metal. Although the calculated pre-atmospheric Fe/Ni ratio for the spherules is relatively constant at 19+/-4 (sigma(sub mean), the calculated pre-atmospheric Cr/Ni ratios vary by about two orders of magnitude. The Cr/Ni ratios are thus powerful discriminators for possible modes of origin of the spherules. For example, iron meteorites typically have low Cr contents and low Cr/Ni ratios,:less than or equal to 3 x 10(exp -4). Thus, Type I spherules do not appear to be ablation products of iron meteorites, in contrast to an earlier suggestion.

Nyquist, L. E.↗

Type I Cosmic Spherules: Key to a Major, But Poorly Sampled, Asteroid Population?

Herzog et al. have determined Fe, Ni, and Cr abundances in Type I cosmic spherules recovered from the deep sea, and also the isotopic fractionation of these elements during passage of the spherules through the terrestrial atmosphere. Isotopic fractionation for all three elements is typically large, approx. 16%/amu, corresponding to evaporative mass losses of approx. 80 - 85%, assuming Rayleigh distillation from an open system. The corrected, pre-atmospheric, Cr/Ni and Fe/Ni ratios, are compared to ratios in bulk chondrites and chondritic metal. Although the calculated pre-atmospheric Fe/Ni ratio for the spherules is relatively constant at 19 +/- 4 (sigma(sub mean)) the calculated pre-atmospheric Cr/Ni ratios vary by about two orders of magnitude. The Cr/Ni ratios are thus powerful discriminators for possible modes of origin of the spherules. For example, iron meteorites typically have low Cr contents and low Cr/Ni ratios, less or = 3 x 10(exp -4). Thus, Type I spherules do not appear to be ablation products of iron meteorites, in contrast to an earlier suggestion.

Nyquist, L. E.↗

Type I Cosmic Spherules: Key to a Major, But Poorly Sampled, Asteroid Population

Fe, Ni, and Cr abundances in Type I cosmic spherules recovered from the deep sea, and also the isotopic fractionation of these elements during passage of the spherules through the terrestrial atmosphere was determined. Isotopic fractionation for all three elements is typically large, approx. 16%o/amu, corresponding to evaporative mass losses of approx. 80-85%, assuming Rayleigh distillation from an open system. The corrected, pre-atmospheric, Cr/Ni and Fe/Ni ratios are shown, where they are compared to these ratios in bulk chondrites and chondritic metal. Although the calculated pre-atmospheric Fe/Ni ratio for the spherules is relatively constant at 19 plus or minus 4 (sigma (sub mean)), the calculated pre-atmospheric Cr/Ni ratios vary by about two orders of magnitude. The Cr/Ni ratios are thus powerful discriminators for possible modes of origin of the spherules. For example, iron meteorites typically have low Cr contents and low Cr/Ni ratios, less than or equal to 3 x 10(exp -4). Thus, Type I spherules do not appear to be ablation products of iron meteorites, in contrast to an earlier suggestion..

Nyquist, Larry E.↗

Computation of atmospheric attenuation of sound for fractional-octave bands

Correct methods of accounting for atmospheric attenuation in band data requiring consideration of the integrated effect across the bands of the specific distance involved are discussed. Computer programs are provided that are understandable, efficient, and simple to use. It is hoped that this will facilitate more widespread use of correct computational methods, especially where routine computer processing of data is employed.

Montegani, F. J.↗

Atmospheric effect removal from space imagery

A method to derive a ground reflectance scene from space imagery by removing the contribution of atmospheric radiance was developed. The method utilizes a multiple scattering radiative transfer code to model the Earth-atmosphere system and converts the output into a set of quadratic coefficients which best fit the relationships between the upwelling radiance reaching the sensor and the lower boundary conditions of the ground reflectance. Pixel by pixel correction of the atmospheric effects is done by invoking these coefficients. The algorithm was applied to a number of Thematic Mapper and CZCS data to generate interesting ground scenes and was used to simulate space imagery from ground reflectance scenes.

Kim, Hongsuk H.↗

An investigation of geometry and noise corrections to San Marco-C neutral atmospheric composition experiment data

The problem of the calculation of ambient densities from San Marco-C neutral atmospheric composition experiment data is considered. A brief description is given of the data measurement method, followed by a description of both the theoretical and experimental data curves. Geometry, electrometer distortions, and noise effects are then studied in terms of their effects on the ideal data form. From these considerations two data reduction methods are evolved. The first is an iterative integration technique that exploits the symmetry of the experimental data about the minimum angle of attack. For the analysis of geometry effects, a second method using interval averaging was developed and studied.

Curtis, S. A.↗

Dominant Presence of Oxygenated Organic Species in the Remote Southern Hemisphere Troposphere

Oxygenated organic species are intimately involved with the fate of nitrogen oxides (NO(sub x)) and hydrogen oxides (HO(sub x)), which are necessary for tropospheric ozone formation. A recent airborne experiment (March-April, 1999) focused over the southern hemisphere (SH) Pacific Ocean (PEM-tropics-B) provided a first opportunity for a detailed characterization of the oxygenated organic composition of the remote southern hemisphere troposphere. Three co-located multi-channel airborne instruments measured a dozen key oxygenated species (carbonyls, alcohols, organic nitrates, organic pernitrates, peroxides) along with a comprehensive suite of C2-C8 Nonmethane hydrocarbons (NMHC). These measurements reveal that in the tropical SH (0-30 deg south), oxygenated chemical abundances are extremely large and collectively are nearly five times those of NMHC. Even in the NH remote atmospheres their burden is equal to or greater than that of NMHC. The relatively uniform global distribution oxygenates (EPSILON Ox-org) is indicative of the presence of large natural and distributed sources. A global 3-D model, reflecting the present state of science, is unable to correctly simulate the atmospheric distribution and variability of several of these species.

Singh, H.↗

AVHRR Surface Temperature and Narrow-Band Albedo Comparison with Ground Measurements for the Greenland Ice Sheet

An ice-surface temperature retrieval algorithm for the Greenland ice sheet was developed using NOAA 11 thermal radiances from channels 4 and 5. Temperature, pressure and humidity profiles, cloud observations and skin temperatures from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) camp, located at the equilibrium line altitude at 49 deg17 min W, 69 deg 34 min N, were used in the LOWTRAN 7 model. Through a statistical analysis of daily clear sky profiles, the coefficients that correct for the atmospheric effects were determined for the ETH-Camp field season (May to August). Surface temperatures retrieved by this method were then compared against the in situ observations with a maximum difference of 0.6 K. The NOAA 11 narrow-band planetary albedo values for channels 1 and 2 were calculated using pre-launch calibration coefficients. Scattering and absorption by the atmosphere were modelled with LOWTRAN 7. Then, narrow-band albedo values for the AVHRR visible and near infrared channels were compared with in situ high resolution spectral reflectance measurements. In the visible band (580-680 nm), AVHRR-derived narrow-band albedo and the in situ measurements corrected with radiative transfer model LOWTRAN 7 showed a difference of less than 2%. For the near infrared channel (725-1100 nm) the difference between the measured and modelled narrow-band albedo was 14%. These discrepancies could be either the result of inaccurate aerosol scattering modelling (lack of the in situ observation), or the result of sensor drift due to degradation.

Haefliger, M.↗