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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 91 records · Page 5
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1973

Temporal analysis of multispectral scanner data.

Multispectral scanner reflectance data were sampled for bare soil, cotton, sorghum, corn, and citrus at four dates during a growing season (April, May, June, and July 1969) to develop a time-dependent signature for crop and soil discrimination. Discrimination tests were conducted for single-date and multidate formats using training and test data sets. For classifications containing several crops, the multidate or temporal approach improved discrimination compared with the single-date approach. The multidate approach also preserved recognition accuracy better in going from training fields to test fields than the single-date analysis. The spectral distinctiveness of bare soil versus vegetation resulted in essentially equal discrimination using single-date versus multidate data for those two categories.

Richardson, A. J.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Mare Crisium geologic units - Implications of additional remote sensing data

Additional spectral reflectance data are presented for the Mare Crisium region. This new remote sensing information supports and supplements the subdivision of Mare Crisium into three major basalt units and shows further that: (1) the Luna 24 landing site is on a small region apparently surrounded by distinctly different units, but is clearly correlated with basalt Group IIA of Head et al. (1978); (2) exposures of Group IIB basalt in the northern and southern parts of the basin are spectrally similar; and (3) Group I basalts along the eastern part of the basin, which have been proposed to be relatively young (Boyce and Johnson, 1977), are spectrally similar to older Group I basalts.

Pieters, C. M.↗
DOE OSTI2020

Comparative analysis of the methods for quantitative determination of water content in skin from diffuse reflectance spectroscopy data

The predictive properties of methods aimed for estimating the water content in skin from the spectral diffuse reflection characteristics near the water absorption line in the near-IR spectral range are analysed. Numerical simulation data, experimental data on diffuse reflection from human skin phantoms, and data from the reference data set of human skin reflectance spectra are used to consider the possibility of gaining additional information about the water distribution in skin. The influence of variations in the scattering coefficient and oxyhaemoglobin concentration on the water content estimates is investigated. (paper)

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
NASA NTRS1994

Modeling the bidirectional reflectance distribution function of mixed finite plant canopies and soil

An analytical model of the bidirectional reflectance for optically semi-infinite plant canopies has been extended to describe the reflectance of finite depth canopies contributions from the underlying soil. The model depends on 10 independent parameters describing vegetation and soil optical and structural properties. The model is inverted with a nonlinear minimization routine using directional reflectance data for lawn (leaf area index (LAI) is equal to 9.9), soybeans (LAI, 2.9) and simulated reflectance data (LAI, 1.0) from a numerical bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) model (Myneni et al., 1988). While the ten-parameter model results in relatively low rms differences for the BRDF, most of the retrieved parameters exhibit poor stability. The most stable parameter was the single-scattering albedo of the vegetation. Canopy albedo could be derived with an accuracy of less than 5% relative error in the visible and less than 1% in the near-infrared. Sensitivity were performed to determine which of the 10 parameters were most important and to assess the effects of Gaussian noise on the parameter retrievals. Out of the 10 parameters, three were identified which described most of the BRDF variability. At low LAI values the most influential parameters were the single-scattering albedos (both soil and vegetation) and LAI, while at higher LAI values (greater than 2.5) these shifted to the two scattering phase function parameters for vegetation and the single-scattering albedo of the vegetation. The three-parameter model, formed by fixing the seven least significant parameters, gave higher rms values but was less sensitive to noise in the BRDF than the full ten-parameter model. A full hemispherical reflectance data set for lawn was then interpolated to yield BRDF values corresponding to advanced very high resolution radiometer (AVHRR) scan geometries collected over a period of nine days. The resulting parameters and BRDFs are similar to those for the full sampling geometry, suggesting that the limited geometry of AVHRR measurements might be used to reliably retrieve BRDF and canopy albedo with this model.

Schluessel, G.↗
NASA NTRS2012

Quality Assessment of Landsat Surface Reflectance Products Using MODIS Data

Surface reflectance adjusted for atmospheric effects is a primary input for land cover change detection and for developing many higher level surface geophysical parameters. With the development of automated atmospheric correction algorithms, it is now feasible to produce large quantities of surface reflectance products using Landsat images. Validation of these products requires in situ measurements, which either do not exist or are difficult to obtain for most Landsat images. The surface reflectance products derived using data acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), however, have been validated more comprehensively. Because the MODIS on the Terra platform and the Landsat 7 are only half an hour apart following the same orbit, and each of the 6 Landsat spectral bands overlaps with a MODIS band, good agreements between MODIS and Landsat surface reflectance values can be considered indicators of the reliability of the Landsat products, while disagreements may suggest potential quality problems that need to be further investigated. Here we develop a system called Landsat-MODIS Consistency Checking System (LMCCS). This system automatically matches Landsat data with MODIS observations acquired on the same date over the same locations and uses them to calculate a set of agreement metrics. To maximize its portability, Java and open-source libraries were used in developing this system, and object-oriented programming (OOP) principles were followed to make it more flexible for future expansion. As a highly automated system designed to run as a stand-alone package or as a component of other Landsat data processing systems, this system can be used to assess the quality of essentially every Landsat surface reflectance image where spatially and temporally matching MODIS data are available. The effectiveness of this system was demonstrated using it to assess preliminary surface reflectance products derived using the Global Land Survey (GLS) Landsat images for the 2000 epoch. As surface reflectance likely will be a standard product for future Landsat missions, the approach developed in this study can be adapted as an operational quality assessment system for those missions.

Landsat↗
NASA NTRS1992

An expert system shell for inferring vegetation characteristics: The learning system (tasks C and D)

This report describes the implementation of a learning system that uses a data base of historical cover type reflectance data taken at different solar zenith angles and wavelengths to learn class descriptions of classes of cover types. It has been integrated with the VEG system and requires that the VEG system be loaded to operate. VEG is the NASA VEGetation workbench - an expert system for inferring vegetation characteristics from reflectance data. The learning system provides three basic options. Using option one, the system learns class descriptions of one or more classes. Using option two, the system learns class descriptions of one or more classes and then uses the learned classes to classify an unknown sample. Using option three, the user can test the system's classification performance. The learning system can also be run in an automatic mode. In this mode, options two and three are executed on each sample from an input file. The system was developed using KEE. It is menu driven and contains a sophisticated window and mouse driven interface which guides the user through various computations. Input and output file management and data formatting facilities are also provided.

Harrison, P. Ann↗
NASA NTRS1999

Radar Observations of Convective Systems from a High-Altitude Aircraft

Reflectivity data collected by the precipitation radar on board the tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite, orbiting at 350 km altitude, are compared to reflectivity data collected nearly simultaneously by a doppler radar aboard the NASA ER-2 flying at 19-20 km altitude, i.e. above even the deepest convection. The TRMM precipitation radar is a scanning device with a ground swath width of 215 km, and has a resolution of about a4.4 km in the horizontal and 250 m in the vertical (125 m in the core swath 48 km wide). The TRMM radar has a wavelength of 217 cm (13.8 GHz) and the Nadir mirror echo below the surface is used to correct reflectivity for loss by attenuation. The ER-2 Doppler radar (EDOP) has two antennas, one pointing to the nadir, 34 degrees forward. The forward pointing beam receives both the normal and the cross-polarized echos, so the linear polarization ratio field can be monitored. EDOP has a wavelength of 3.12 cm (9.6 GHz), a vertical resolution of 37.5 m and a horizontal along-track resolution of about 100 m. The 2-D along track airflow field can be synthesized from the radial velocities of both beams, if a reflectivity-based hydrometer fall speed relation can be assumed. It is primarily the superb vertical resolution that distinguishes EDOP from other ground-based or airborne radars. Two experiments were conducted during 1998 into validate TRMM reflectivity data over convection and convectively-generated stratiform precipitation regions. The Teflun-A (TEXAS-Florida Underflight) experiment, was conducted in April and May and focused on mesoscale convective systems mainly in southeast Texas. TEFLUN-B was conducted in August-September in central Florida, in coordination with CAMEX-3 (Convection and Moisture Experiment). The latter was focused on hurricanes, especially during landfall, whereas TEFLUN-B concentrated on central; Florida convection, which is largely driven and organized by surface heating and ensuing sea breeze circulations. Both TEFLUN-A and B were amply supported by surface data, in particular a dense raingauge network, a polarization radar, wind profilers, a mobile radiosonde system, a cloud physics aircraft penetrating the overflown storms, and a network of 10 cm Doppler radars(WSR-88D). This presentation will show some preliminary comparisons between TRMM, EDOP, and WSR-88D reflectivity fields in the case of an MCS, a hurricane, and less organized convection in central Florida. A validation of TRMM reflectivity is important, because TRMM's primary objective is to estimate the rainfall climatology with 35 degrees of the equator. Rainfall is estimated from the radar reflectivity, as well from TRMM's Microwave Imager, which measures at 10.7, 19.4, 21.3, 37, and 85.5 GHz over a broader swath (78 km). While the experiments lasted about three months the cumulative period of near simultaneous observations of storms by ground-based, airborne and space borne radars is only about an hour long. Therefore the comparison is case-study-based, not climatological. We will highlight fundamental differences in the typical reflectivity profiles in stratiform regions of MCS's, Florida convection and hurricanes and will explain why Z-R relationships based on ground-based radar data for convective systems over land should be different from those for hurricanes. These catastrophically intense rainfall from hurricane Georges in Hispaniola and from Mitch in Honduras highlights the importance of accurate Z-R relationships, It will be shown that a Z-R relationship that uses the entire reflectivity profile (rather than just a 1 level) works much better in a variety of cases, making an adjustment of the constants for different precipitation system categories redundant.

Heymsfield, G.↗
NASA NTRS2008

Hail Size Distribution Mapping

A 3-D weather radar visualization software program was developed and implemented as part of an experimental Launch Pad 39 Hail Monitor System. 3DRadPlot, a radar plotting program, is one of several software modules that form building blocks of the hail data processing and analysis system (the complete software processing system under development). The spatial and temporal mapping algorithms were originally developed through research at the University of Central Florida, funded by NASA s Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission (TRMM), where the goal was to merge National Weather Service (NWS) Next-Generation Weather Radar (NEXRAD) volume reflectivity data with drop size distribution data acquired from a cluster of raindrop disdrometers. In this current work, we adapted these algorithms to process data from a cluster of hail disdrometers positioned around Launch Pads 39A or 39B, along with the corresponding NWS radar data. Radar data from all NWS NEXRAD sites is archived at the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC). That data can be readily accessed at . 3DRadPlot plots Level III reflectivity data at four scan elevations (this software is available at Open Channel Software, ). By using spatial and temporal interpolation/extrapolation based on hydrometeor fall dynamics, we can merge the hail disdrometer array data coupled with local Weather Surveillance Radar-1988, Doppler (WSR-88D) radial velocity and reflectivity data into a 4-D (3-D space and time) picture of hail size distributions. Hail flux maps can then be generated and used for damage prediction and assessment over specific surfaces corresponding to structures within the disdrometer array volume. Immediately following a hail storm, specific damage areas and degree of damage can be identified for inspection crews.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1993

Red edge spectral measurements from sugar maple leaves

Many sugar maple stands in the northeastern United States experienced extensive insect damage during the 1988 growing season. Chlorophyll data and high spectral resolution spectrometer laboratory reflectance data were acquired for multiple collections of single detached sugar maple leaves variously affected by the insect over the 1988 growing season. Reflectance data indicated consistent and diagnostic differences in the red edge portion (680-750 nm) of the spectrum among the various samples and populations of leaves. These included differences in the red edge inflection point (REIP), a ratio of reflectance at 740-720 nm (RE3/RE2), and a ratio of first derivative values at 715-705 nm (D715/D705). All three red edge parameters were highly correlated with variation in total chlorophyll content. Other spectral measures, including the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and the Simple Vegetation Index Ratio (VI), also varied among populations and over the growing season, but did not correlate well with total chlorophyll content. Leaf stacking studies on light and dark backgrounds indicated REIP, RE3/RE2 and D715/D705 to be much less influenced by differences in green leaf biomass and background condition than either NDVI or VI.

Vogelmann, J. E.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Gravity Survey of the Mt. Toondina Impact Structure South Australia

This paper presents data to support the conclusion that gravity data combined with seismic reflection data and surface stuctural geologic mapping for the Mt. Toondina structure in South Australia reveal that the central uplift is surrounded by a ring structural depression.

gravity seismic reflection data geologic mapping↗
NASA NTRS1985

Evolution of basin and range structure in the Ruby Mountains and vicinity, Nevada

Results from various age dating techniques, seismic reflection profiling hydrocarbon maturation studies, and structural analysis were used to evaluate the Cenozoic deformation in the Ruby Mountains and adjoining ranges (pinyon Range and Cortez Range) in Elko and Eureka Counties, Nevada. Age dating techniques used include potassium-argon ages of biotites from granites published by Kistler et al. (1981) and fission track ages from apatite and zircon. Fission track ages from apatite reflect a closing temperature of 100 plus or minus 20 deg C. Zircon fission track ages reflect a closing temperature of 175 plus or minus 25 deg C and potassium-argon ages from brotite reflect a closing temperature of 250 plus or minus 30 deg C. Thus these results allow a reasonably precise tracking of the evolution of the ranges during the Cenozoic. Seismic reflection data are available from Huntington Valley. Access to seismic reflection data directly to the west of the Harrison Pass Pluton in the central Ruby Mountains was obtained. In addition results are available from several deep exploration holes in Huntington Valley.

Blackwell, D. D.↗
NASA NTRS2021

Evaluation of vicarious calibration for airborne sensors using RadCalNet

Vicarious calibration approaches using in-situ measurements are key techniques applied to on-orbit remote sensors. The in-situ measurements have advantages in terms of traceability and quantifiable accuracy that make them ideal for inter-consistency studies of on-orbit sensors. The Committee on Earth Observation Satellites Working Group on Calibration and Validation Infrared Visible Optical Sensors initiated the Radiometric Calibration Network (RadCalNet) to provide automated surface and top-of-atmosphere (TOA) reflectance data from multiple participating ground sites to the worldwide user community. RadCalNet standardizes protocols for collecting data, processes TOA reflectance, and provides International System of Units traceable uncertainty budgets for the five currently operating sites. RadCalNet data from the Railroad Valley Playa, Nevada, site was used to provide an SI-traceable, absolute radiometric calibration of the Enhanced MODIS Airborne Simulator as part of an overflight of opportunity during the FIREX-AQ campaign. The results shown here demonstrate the utility of RadCalNet data for absolute radiometric calibration of airborne imagers making flights of opportunity without the need for coordination with a field validation team.

Sensors↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Calibration of Landsat 8 Aquatic Reflectance Band Data to Spatial Variations in Chlorophyll a, Suspended Sediment, N, and P in Coastal Estuaries of Southern Louisiana

Nutrient enrichment of coastal estuaries is a proven causal agent of harmful algal blooms, fish kills, and hypoxic zones. To enable regional mapping in coastal estuaries of southern Louisiana of Chlorophyll a, suspended sediment, N, and P concentrations, monthly water sample data collected at over 30 stations along a 129 km transect in the Barataria Basin by Turner et al. (2019) were correlated with Landsat 8 aquatic reflectance (ar) band 3 and 4 image data (2013-2016). Results showed significant non-linear correlations (R2 > 0.2) of Landsat ar band 4 values with measured concentrations of Chlorophyll a, total suspended sediment, N, and P. The strongest correlations were revealed between Landsat ar band 4 reflectances and total P concentrations, periodically at R2 values > 0.6. Landsat ar band images revealed detailed variations in total N and P concentrations that were consistent with the measured nutrient declines associated with dilution of freshwater as sampling locations progressed toward more coastal saline waters. Regional map images of ar band 4 in 2019 and 2020 confirmed that recent openings of Bonnet Carre Spillway could have resulted in damage to oyster beds in the brackish Gulf waters near Lake Borgne and the Mississippi River Delta, possibly due to reduced salinity levels and enhanced sediment deposition.

Calibration↗
DOE OSTI2025

When can we detect lianas from space? Toward a mechanistic understanding of liana‐infested forest optics

Abstract Lianas, woody vines acting as structural parasites of trees, have profound effects on the composition and structure of tropical forests, impacting tree growth, mortality, and forest succession. Remote sensing could offer a powerful tool for quantifying the scale of liana infestation, provided the availability of robust detection methods. We analyze the consistency and global geographic specificity of spectral signals—reflectance across wavelengths—from liana‐infested tree crowns and forest stands, examining the underlying mechanisms of these signals. We compiled a uniquely comprehensive database, including leaf reflectance spectra from 5424 leaves, fine‐scale airborne reflectance data from 999 liana‐infested canopies, and coarse‐scale satellite reflectance data covering 775 ha of liana‐infested forest stands. To unravel the mechanisms of the liana spectral signal, we applied mechanistic radiative transfer models across scales, establishing a synthesis of the relative importance of different mechanisms, which we corroborate with field data on liana leaf chemistry and canopy structure. We find a consistent liana spectral signal at canopy and stand scales across globally distributed sites. This signature mainly arises at the canopy level due to direct effects of more horizontal leaf angles, resulting in a larger projected leaf area, and indirect effects from increased light scattering in the near and short‐wave infrared regions, linked to lianas' less costly leaf construction compared with trees on average. The existence of a consistent global spectral signal for lianas suggests that large‐scale quantification of liana infestation is feasible. However, because the traits responsible for the liana canopy‐reflectance signal are not exclusive to lianas, accurate large‐scale detection requires rigorously validated remote sensing methods. Our models highlight challenges in automated detection, such as potential misidentification due to leaf phenology, tree life history, topography, and climate, especially where the scale of liana infestation is less than a single remote sensing pixel. The observed cross‐site patterns also prompt ecological questions about lianas' adaptive similarities in optical traits across environments, indicating possible convergent evolution due to shared constraints on leaf biochemical and structural traits.

Environmental Sciences & Ecology↗
NASA NTRS1993

An expert system shell for inferring vegetation characteristics: Atmospheric techniques (Task G)

The NASA VEGetation Workbench (VEG) is a knowledge based system that infers vegetation characteristics from reflectance data. The VEG Subgoals have been reorganized into categories. A new subgoal category 'Atmospheric Techniques' containing two new subgoals has been implemented. The subgoal Atmospheric Passes allows the scientist to take reflectance data measured at ground level and predict what the reflectance values would be if the data were measured at a different atmospheric height. The subgoal Atmospheric Corrections allows atmospheric corrections to be made to data collected from an aircraft or by a satellite to determine what the equivalent reflectance values would be if the data were measured at ground level. The report describes the implementation and testing of the basic framework and interface for the Atmospheric Techniques Subgoals.

Harrison, P. Ann↗
NASA NTRS1980

Radiometric resolution for monitoring vegetation - how many bits are needed

The number of radiometric quantizing levels required for satellite monitoring of vegetation resources was evaluated by using in situ collected spectral reflectance data, an atmospheric radiative transfer simulation model, and a satellite sensor simulation model. Reflectance data were converted to radiance data, passed through a model atmosphere to an altitude of 706 km, and subsequently quantized at 16, 32, 64, 128, 256 and 512 digital count levels for Thematic Mapper bands TM3 (0.63-0.69 microns) and TM4 (0.76-0.90 microns). The simulated digital count data were regressed against in situ biological data to quantify the relationship between quantizing levels. Results of the analysis demonstrated that solar zenith angle has an effect on the quantization equivalent change in reflectance, that 256 quantizing levels gave a 1-3% improvement per channel over 64 quantizing levels, and that 256 quantizing levels gave a 1% improvement per channel over 128 quantizing levels. No improvements were found for 256 versus 512 quantizing levels.

Tucker, C. J.↗
NASA NTRS2014

The Normalization of Surface Anisotropy Effects Present in SEVIRI Reflectances by Using the MODIS BRDF Method

A modified version of the MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) algorithm is presented for use in the angular normalization of surface reflectance data gathered by the Spinning Enhanced Visible and InfraRed Imager (SEVIRI) aboard the geostationary Meteosat Second Generation (MSG) satellites. We present early and provisional daily nadir BRDFadjusted reflectance (NBAR) data in the visible and near-infrared MSG channels. These utilize the high temporal resolution of MSG to produce BRDF retrievals with a greatly reduced acquisition period than the comparable MODIS products while, at the same time, removing many of the angular perturbations present within the original MSG data. The NBAR data are validated against reflectance data from the MODIS instrument and in situ data gathered at a field location in Africa throughout 2008. It is found that the MSG retrievals are stable and are of high-quality across much of the SEVIRI disk while maintaining a higher temporal resolution than the MODIS BRDF products. However, a number of circumstances are discovered whereby the BRDF model is unable to function correctly with the SEVIRI observations-primarily because of an insufficient spread of angular data due to the fixed sensor location or localized cloud contamination.

SEVIRI↗
NASA NTRS1975

Investigation of land-use spectral signatures

A technique was developed to obtain bidirectional reflectance data from natural surfaces by using a folding mirror to transfer the reflected energy from the test surface to a spectroradiometer. The folding mirror was a first surface reflector made by stretching Mylar vacuum coated with aluminum over a light weight frame. The optically folding mirror was positioned over the test surfaces with a moveable platform for both laboratory and field tests. Field tests were conducted using a tethered balloon system to position the folding mirror. A spectroradiometer was designed and built specifically for this investigation. The spectroradiometer had an angular field of view of twenty-four minutes in one axis and ten minutes in the other axis. The radiometer was capable of detecting energies in small bandwidths throughout the electromagnetic spectrum from 0.3 microns to 3.0 microns. Bidirectional reflectance data and variations in the data with source angles were obtained for Saint Augustine grass, Bermuda grass, and a black alluvium soil from the Mississippi River delta.

Hagewood, J. F.↗