Sensible and latent heat flux from radiometric surface temperatures at the regional scale: methodology and validation

The CarboEurope Regional Experiment Strategy (CERES) was designed to develop and test a range of methodologies to assess regional surface energy and mass exchange of a large study area in the south-western part of France. This paper describes a methodology to estimate sensible and latent heat fluxes on the basis of net radiation, surface radiometric temperature measurements and information obtained from available products derived from the Meteosat Second Generation (MSG) geostationary meteorological satellite, weather stations and ground-based eddy covariance towers. It is based on a simplified bulk formulation of sensible heat flux that considers the degree of coupling between the vegetation and the atmosphere and estimates latent heat as the residual term of net radiation. Estimates of regional energy fluxes obtained in this way are validated at the regional scale by means of a comparison with direct flux measurements made by airborne eddy-covariance. The results show an overall good matching between airborne fluxes and estimates of sensible and latent heat flux obtained from radiometric surface temperatures that holds for different weather conditions and different land use types. The overall applicability of the proposed methodology to regional studies is discusse

Optimization of microwave radiometric systems for earth resource surveys Final report

Optimization of passive microwave radiometric systems for earth resource surveys from ground and aircraft based measurement

Remote sensing in agriculture - Agronomic sciences - A selected bibliography with abstracts

Bibliography with abstracts of remote sensing in agricultur

Development of a cloud radiation database for EPS-SG ICI

This document is composed of technical reports written for each of the three tasks comprising the study Development of a cloud radiation database for EPS-SG ICI. The objective of the study was the development of a cloud radiation retrieval database to be used operationally by EUMETSAT upon launch of the Ice Cloud Imager (ICI). The database will be used within the retrieval algorithm to perform retrievals of cloud ice products, including ice water path (IWP)

The use of multispectral sensing techniques to detect ponderosa pine trees under stress from insect or pathogenic organisms Annual progress report

Ground and aerial imaging techniques to detect tree damage caused by bark beetles in forested area

A Physical Model to Estimate Snowfall over Land using AMSU-B Observations

In this study, we present an improved physical model to retrieve snowfall rate over land using brightness temperature observations from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Advanced Microwave Sounder Unit-B (AMSU-B) at 89 GHz, 150 GHz, 183.3 +/- 1 GHz, 183.3 +/- 3 GHz, and 183.3 +/- 7 GHz. The retrieval model is applied to the New England blizzard of March 5, 2001 which deposited about 75 cm of snow over much of Vermont, New Hampshire, and northern New York. In this improved physical model, prior retrieval assumptions about snowflake shape, particle size distributions, environmental conditions, and optimization methodology have been updated. Here, single scattering parameters for snow particles are calculated with the Discrete-Dipole Approximation (DDA) method instead of assuming spherical shapes. Five different snow particle models (hexagonal columns, hexagonal plates, and three different kinds of aggregates) are considered. Snow particle size distributions are assumed to vary with air temperature and to follow aircraft measurements described by previous studies. Brightness temperatures at AMSU-B frequencies for the New England blizzard are calculated using these DDA calculated single scattering parameters and particle size distributions. The vertical profiles of pressure, temperature, relative humidity and hydrometeors are provided by MM5 model simulations. These profiles are treated as the a priori data base in the Bayesian retrieval algorithm. In algorithm applications to the blizzard data, calculated brightness temperatures associated with selected database profiles agree with AMSU-B observations to within about +/- 5 K at all five frequencies. Retrieved snowfall rates compare favorably with the near-concurrent National Weather Service (NWS) radar reflectivity measurements. The relationships between the NWS radar measured reflectivities Z(sub e) and retrieved snowfall rate R for a given snow particle model are derived by a histogram matching technique. All of these Z(sub e)-R relationships fall in the range of previously established Z(sub e)-R relationships for snowfall. This suggests that the current physical model developed in this study can reliably estimate the snowfall rate over land using the AMSU-B measured brightness temperatures

Imaging Technology and Systems

Presents a review of various imaging techniques used in the ground-based airborne and spaceborne systems. It mainly covers the subject on electromagnetic spectrum extending from ultraviolet to microwave region. Discusses various imaging techniques, including their advantages/limitations and available systems and highlights visible, near infrared, thermal infrared and millimeter wave band imaging system developed by the Defence Electronics Applications Laboratory, Dehradun

Earth Resources: A continuing bibliography with indexes, issue 7

This bibliography lists 492 reports, articles, and other documents introduced into the NASA scientific and technical information system between July 1975 and September 1975. Emphasis is placed on the use of remote sensing and geophysical instrumentation in spacecraft and aircraft to survey and inventory natural resources and urban areas. Subject matter is grouped according to agriculture and forestry, environmental changes and cultural resources, geodesy and cartography, geology and mineral resources, hydrology and water management, data processing and distribution systems, instrumentation and sensors, and economic analysis

Earth Resources: A continuing bibliography with indexes, issue 36

This bibliography lists 576 reports, articles, and other documents introduced into the NASA Scientific and Technical Information System between October 1 and December 31, 1982. Emphasis is placed on the use of remote sensing and geophysical instrumentation in spacecraft and aircraft to survey and inventory natural resources and urban areas. Subject matter is grouped according to agriculture and forestry, environmental changes and cultural resources, geodesy and cartography, geology and mineral resources, hydrology and water management, data processing and distribution systems, instrumentation and sensors, and economic analysis