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At least 163 records · Page 9

Microwave radar and radiometric remote sensing measurements of lake ice

Simultaneous microwave radar and spectral radiometric data were collected over Lake Erie during March 1978. A theoretical development is presented which interprets the data collected at nadir in terms of changes in the ice thickness and the electromagnetic attenuation coefficient. The theory also addresses the failure of the spectral radiometer to determine ice thickness through observations of quarter wavelength excursions in the reflectivity. Radar data collected off-nadir showed a substantially different behavior compared to that collected near nadir. This difference is attributed to a change in propagation characteristics from quasi-specular return from the ice-water interface to scattering from the rough air-ice interface.

Swift, C. T.↗

An evaluation of ERTS data for oceanographic uses through Great Lakes studies

The author has identified the following significant results. Prevailing wind direction on Lake Michigan is southwesterly, although during winter northwesterly stresses are common. Along the western shore the current favors a northward direction. ERTS-1 observations indicate that the southward-flowing current along the Michigan shoreline of the thumb is only reversed by southerly resultant wind stress. Along the Canadian shoreline, a northward current was observed north of Kettle Point. ERTS-1 data also reveal that a preferred southward-flowing current is found along the Detroit shoreline of Lake St. Clair. Eastward flow of surface water from the shallow western basin of Lake Erie into the middle basin is most obvious during northwesterly and northerly wind stresses. The reverse wind direction especially east and southeasterly, appear to hold the effluents from the Detroit and Maumee Rivers in the western basin. Across-lake winds from the north and south induce eddy-like circulation in surface waters of Lake Ontario. Counterclockwise alongshore flow persists in the western basin under most wind conditions.

Strong, A. E.↗

Oxygen budget of a perennially ice-covered Antarctic lake

A bulk O2 budget for Lake Hoare, Antarctica, is presented. Five years of seasonal data show the lake to be persistently supersaturated with O2. Oxygen is carried into the lake in glacial meltstreams and is left behind when this water is removed as ice by ablation and sublimation. A diffusive loss of O2 from the lake through the summer moat is suggested. Measured values of the total O2 in the water column indicate that the time scale of O2 turnover is much longer than a year. Based on these results, it is suggested that the amount of O2 in the water does not change significantly throughout the year and that the lake is also supersaturated with N2.

Wharton, R. A., Jr.↗

Utilization of ERTS-1 data to monitor and classify eutrophication of inland lakes

The author has identified the following significant results. Significant findings are: (1) one acre lakes and one acre islands are detectable; (2) circular lakes of 7.5 acres and greater reach full density; (3) long channels 100 ft wide are detectable; (4) orientation of lakes is independent of scan direction; (5) lake features are observable in enlargements of CCT imagery produced in the Bendix Earth Resources Data Center; and (6) a decision surface water outline map is presented that was produced from ERTS-1 CCT. A water color literature review, baseline water quality data of the test lakes, and a discussion of geometric corrections of the CCT decision water surface outline map are also presented.

Chase, P. E.↗

Application of digital image processing techniques and information systems to water quality monitoring of Lake Tahoe

The Tahoe basin occupies over 500 square miles of territory located in a graben straddling the boundary between California and Nevada. Lake Tahoe contains 126 million acre-feet of water. Since the 1950's the basin has experienced an ever increasing demand for land development at the expense of the natural watershed. Discharge of sediment to the lake has greatly increased owing to accelerated human interference, and alterations to the natural drainage patterns are evident in some areas. In connection with an investigation of the utility of a comprehensive system that takes into account the causes as well as the effects of lake eutrophication, it has been attempted to construct an integrated and workable data base, comprised of currently available data sources for the Lake Tahoe region. Attention is given to the image based information system (IBIS), the construction of the Lake Tahoe basin data base, and the application of the IBIS concept to the Lake Tahoe basin.

Smith, A. Y.↗

Scattering behavior of Lunar Lake playa determined from parabola bidirectional reflectance data

Bidirectional reflectance data obtained with the Portable Apparatus for Rapid Acquisition of Bidirectional Observations of Land and Atmosphere instrument at Lunar Lake, Nevada, were analyzed to determine the scattering properties of playas. The data are approximated by a Lambertian function, except at high phase angles in the solar principal plane, where Fresnel reflectance appears to dominate. The data also depart slightly (15 percent) from a Lambertian function at high emission angles in all azimuthal planes. No published photometric model accounts for the observed data. It is hypothesized that the observed scattering behavior is the superposition of volume and surface (Fresnel) scattering mechanisms.

Shepard, Michael K.↗

Evaluation of NCAR Icing/SLD Forecasts, Tools and Techniques Used During The 1998 NASA SLD Flight Season

Supercooled Large Droplet (SLD) icing conditions were implicated in at least one recent aircraft crash, and have been associated with other aircraft incidents. Inflight encounters with SLD can result in ice accreting on unprotected areas of the wing where it can not be removed. Because this ice can adversely affect flight characteristics of some aircraft, there has been concern about flight safety in these conditions. The FAA held a conference on in-flight icing in 1996 where the state of knowledge concerning SLD was explored. One outcome of these meetings was an identified need to acquire SLD flight research data, particularly in the Great Lakes Region. The flight research data was needed by the FAA to develop a better understanding of the meteorological characteristics associated with SLD and facilitate an assessment of existing aircraft icing certification regulations with respect to SLD. In response to this need, NASA, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) conducted a cooperative icing flight research program to acquire SLD flight research data. The NASA Glenn Research Center's Twin Otter icing research aircraft was flown throughout the Great Lakes region during the winters of 1996-97 and 1997-98 to acquire SLD icing and meteorological data. The NASA Twin Otter was instrumented to measure cloud microphysical properties (particle size, LWC (Liquid Water Content), temperature, etc.), capture images of wing and tail ice accretion, and then record the resultant effect on aircraft performance due to the ice accretion. A satellite telephone link enabled the researchers onboard the Twin Otter to communicate with NCAR meteorologists. who provided real-time guidance into SLD icing conditions. NCAR meteorologists also provided preflight SLD weather forecasts that were used to plan the research flights, and served as on-board researchers. This document contains an evaluation of the tools and techniques NCAR forecasters used to predict the location of SLD icing conditions during the winter of 1997-1998. The objectives of this report are to: (1) assess the tools used to forecast in-flight icing. (2) assess the success/failure rate of the forecasts, and (3) discuss suggested changes to forecast techniques.

Bernstein, Ben C.↗

Operational and Archive Data Records: Surface Elevation Measurements of Lakes, Wetlands, and Rivers for Resources and Hazards

A NASA/USDA funded program offers satellite-derived products for lakes, reservoirs, river reaches, and wetland zones. These are currently being derived from the 10-day and monthly-resolution radar altimeter series. However, observational parameters from the laser based ICESat-2 mission, and the enhanced SWOT KaRIn instrument will also be integrated to meet various end user requirements. The resulting measurements will ultimately be a combination of surface water level and slope, surface water extent, water storage and basin bathymetry, plus a suite of Status Indicators which highlight deviations from long-term and seasonal averages. The main stakeholders are the USDA/Foreign Agricultural Service, the US Geological Survey, USACE/NGA, and various Wetland-related organizations. Applications centre on water and energy resources and fish-catch potential, and on natural hazards (floods and droughts). There is a demand for a global monitoring service, but primary focus is on regions where gauge measurement access is restricted or delayed, or where gauge deployment is hazardous. Ongoing surface acquisition checks and feedback to CNES focusses on the success or failure of the on-board DEM’s on a case-by-case basis. Multiple projects are also underway to improve the surface elevations measurements and the along track resolution (minimum water body width) via exploration of the high resolution (Doppler) Range estimates, the FF-SAR technique, and the high- resolution radiometer based wet tropospheric correction. And while Level3+4 surface water products are being directed by end user requirements, the overriding NASA objectives are the formation of high quality Earth Data Records with high accuracy and uniformity across multiple decades.

Lakes↗

SPRUCE S1 Bog and Bog Lake Fen Moss Decomposition and Litter Chemistry Data, 2014-2019

This dataset includes measurements of mass loss, decay rate, and litter chemistry of mosses decomposing in the S1 Bog and Bog Lake Fen located in the USDA Forest Service Marcell Experimental Forest (MEF) in northern Minnesota, 40 km north of Grand Rapids. A litterbag experiment was used to estimate decay rates of 3 different moss types (Sphagnum magellanicum, Sphagnum angustifolium/fallax, and Polytrichum sp.) from mass loss measurements after one and five years in hummock and hollow microtopographies in the bog and lawn microtopography in the poor fen. Carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorous contents of the mosses were measured initially, after 1 year, and after 5 years of decay. Sample collection and analyses started in 2014 and was completed in 2019 (2014-06-05 to 2019-06-05). These data are from outside the Spruce and Peatland Responses Under Changing Environments (SPRUCE) experimental plots. Decomposition data (rates and chemistry changes) can be used to assess ecosystem carbon and nutrient cycles. These data were used in analyses reported in Shelley et al (2022). This dataset contains two data files in comma-separate values (*.csv) format. Additional metadata are provided: two data dictionaries and a file-level metadata file in comma-separate values (.csv) format and a user guide in PDF (*.pdf) format.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

HCMM hydrological analysis in Utah

Data reduction and preliminary comparisons and correlations of Heat Capacity Mapping Mission data to ground truth measurements were made. The data covered Utah Lake and the surrounding area. Output modes include a digital hard copy record of the intensity value for each pixel and color graphics. Analyses of non-diatom net plankton (algae), turbidity, nitrogen, phosphorus, and temperatures were made. In addition, infrared data for the agricultural area around Utah lake were also preliminarily examined and compared to depth to groundwater data.

Source record↗

Applications of HCMM satellite data

The thermal properties of Lake Ontario as they relate to water equality, lake hydrology and energy exchange were investigated as well as the urban heat island problem in selected areas adjacent to the lake. The HCMM thermal sensor was fully calibrated for several underflight data. Actual surface water temperature maps were generated for all of Lake Ontario using the calibration procedure developed. Major water quality changes associated with the thermal bar as located by HCMM thermal data were observed from satellite and aerial data and verified by ground truth.

Source record↗

Passive and Active L-Band System and Observations During the 2007 CLASIC Campaign

This article describes the upgraded PALS instrument and the characteristics of data acquired from the Cloud Land Atmospheric Interaction Campaign (CLASIC) 2007. The data acquired over lake passes were used to remove the radiometer calibration bias. The calibrated radiometer data showed significant consistency with the L-band land emission model for soil surfaces published in the literature. We observed significant temporal (days) changes of a few dB in the radar data. The change of radar backscatter appeared to correlate well with the change of in-situ soil moisture or the soil moisture data derived from the PALS dual-polarized brightness temperatures. The radar vegetation index also correlated well with the vegetation opacity estimated from the radiometer data. The preliminary analyses suggest complementary information contained in the surface emissivity and backscatter signatures for the retrieval of soil moisture and vegetation water content.

Soil moisture↗

Evaporation Dataset from a Temperate Closed-basin Lake in Minnesota 2014-2016

This data set contains observed and modeled evaporation data, eddy covariance data, and supporting information measured at White Bear Lake in the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area near St. Paul, Minnesota, USA. The data package includes csv files containing half-hourly latent heat flux, sensible heat flux, and meteorological data from 2014 to 2016. It also includes csv files containing half-hourly observed evaporation measurements, along with supporting data for validation and retrospective modeling of evaporation. This data was collected to examine current, past, and future lake evaporation to better understand how climate will impact the water balance of lakes within this region.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Preliminary study of Lake Pontchartrain and vicinity using remotely sensed data from the ERTS-A satellite

The author has identified the following significant results. During the summer of 1972, huge mats of duckweeds (Lemnaceae) appeared on Lake Pontchartrain, a shallow estuary in southeastern Louisiana. In color infrared photography, duckweeds show a characteristic light lavender color, unlike algal mats or water hyacinth, as observed in low level aerial photography. Although at least five species are present in the area, most water coverage is by Lemna minor and Spirodela oligorrhiza. ERTS-1 imagery shows many areas of bayous, swamps, and marginal waters of Lake Pontchartrain covered with duckweeds. Subsequent passes show a seasonal decreases in duckweeds.

Hidalgo, J. U.↗

Updating coastal and navigational charts using ERTS-1 data

A successful processing algorithm for extracting water depth information from ERTS data has been developed. Depth charts for two geographical areas have been constructed representing different solar illumination and water transparency conditions. Absolute depth calculations for water depth to 4.5 fathoms have been demonstrated for the Little Bahama Bank. Depth Charts also were constructed using data in Band 4 and 5 of the ERTS-1 MSS for areas in Lake Michigan. This data represented a low sun angle, poor light transmission in water conditions and gave useful results to 200 meters. In both cases, the ERTS map represented an update in shallow water detail in comparison with available navigation charts for the areas tested. Present processing costs to provide MSS depth charts are estimated to be on the order of $1.50 per sq. mile. The updating of navigation charts for areas hazardous to shipping is an achievable direct application.

Polcyn, F. C.↗

Appendix A: Fuelwood availability for a ten megawatt power plant in Tupper Lake, New York, based on remotely sensed and other data

Forested land potentially available for fuelwood harvest within 30 km of Tupper Lake, N.Y. was delineated and classified as to forest using NASA aerial photography and LANDSAT imagery. Published inventory and growth data were used to estimate woody material on the available land. The information submitted to the Energy Office indicates that there is sufficient woody material to supply a 10 MW plant.

Source record↗