DART: A 3D Model for Remote Sensing Images and Radiative Budget of Earth Surfaces

Modeling the radiative behavior and the energy budget of land surfaces is relevant for many scientific domains such as the study of vegetation functioning with remotely acquired information. DART model (Discrete Anisotropic Radiative Transfer) is developed since 1992. It is one of the most complete 3D models in this domain. It simulates radiative transfer (R.T.) in the optical domain: 3D radiative budget and remote sensing images (i.e., radiance, reflectance, brightness temperature) of vegetation and urban Earth surfaces, for any atmosphere, wavelength, sun/view direction, altitude and spatial resolution. It uses an innovative multispectral approach (flux tracing, exact kernel, discrete ordinate techniques) over the whole optical domain. Here, its potential is illustrated with the case of urban and tropical forest canopies. Moreover, three recent improvements in terms of functionality and operability are presented: account of Earth/Atmosphere curvature for oblique remote sensing measurements, importation of 3D objects simulated as the juxtaposition of triangles with the possibility to transform them into 3D turbid objects, and R.T. simulation in landscapes that have a continuous topography and landscapes that are non repetitive. Finally, preliminary results concerning two application domains are presented. 1) 2D distribution of the reflectance, brightness temperature and radiance measured by a geostationary satellite over a whole continent. 2) 3D radiative budget of natural and urban surfaces with a DART energy budget (EB) component that is being developed. This new model, called DARTEB, is intended to simulate the energy budget of land surfaces

CONTRIBUTIONS OF OPTICAL REMOTE SENSING TO PERMAFROST MAPPING IN DONNELLY TRAINING AREA, ALASKA

AN ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS OFKiran Thapa, for the Master of Science degree in Geography and Environmental Resources, presented on April 8, 2020, at Southern Illinois University Carbondale.TITLE: CONTRIBUTIONS OF OPTICAL REMOTE SENSING TO PERMAFROST MAPPING IN DONNELLY TRAINING AREA, ALASKA MAJOR PROFESSOR: Dr. Guangxing Wang Permafrost occupies about a quarter of the northern hemisphere land with 25.5 million ha. Global warming and anthropogenic activities affect the dynamics of permafrost. Snow and permafrost, in turn, serve as an indicator of climate change and human activity disturbance. The dynamics of permafrost are often estimated using interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) methods. However, acquiring and processing InSAR images is costly and computation intensive. Due to various spectral variables and indices available from optical images, Landsat satellite images that are free-downloadable provide the potential for studying and monitoring changes of permafrost. The overall objective of this study was to explore the use of optical images as a cost-effective method to map permafrost in Donnelly Training Area (DTA) - an installation located in Alaska. First, Landsat 8 OLI/TIRS images from January 2014 to December 2018 were used to calculate various remote sensing variables. The variables included Land Surface Temperature (LST), albedo, Soil Moisture index (SMI), Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Normalized Difference Snow Index (NDSI), Normalized Difference Built-up Index (NDBI), Normalized Difference Water index (NDWI), Simple Ratio (SR), Soil Adjusted Vegetation Index (SAVI), Normalized Burn Ratio (NBR), Triangular Vegetation Index(TVI), Visible Atmospherically Resistant Index (VARI), and Active Layer Thickness (ALT). Moreover, elevation, slope, and aspect were obtained from a digital elevation model (DEM). The variables were used to estimate the probabilities of permafrost presence (POP) for DTA. The logistic and linear models were respectively selected and optimized based on logistic and linear stepwise regression for the estimation of and ALT. A total of 414 field observations that were collected from 1994 to 2012 were utilized for validation of models.The results showed that the POP in DTA was significantly affected by all the factors except aspect and EVI. The factor that was most correlated with ln((1-POP)/POP) was elevation, then NDVI, albedo, ALT, LST, NDWI, NDSI, slope, TVI, RSR, SMI, NDBI, SR, SAVI, NBR and VARI. A total of six prediction models were obtained. The elevation, NDVI, LST, TVI, ALT, SLOPE, RSR, SMI, NBR, and NDSI were finally chosen in the best model 5.6 with the smallest relative root mean square error (RMSE) and Akaike information criterion (AIC). The albedo used in previous studies was excluded in the final model, implying that the albedo was not critical to the prediction of POP. In addition to the previously used elevation, NDVI and SMI, other predictors including LST, TVI, ALT, SLOPE, RSR, NBR, and NDSI could not be ignored in the prediction of POP. The model generated reasonable spatial distribution of POP in which POP had greater values in the east, northeast, north, and northwest parts and smaller in the south and southwest parts. Except for NDVI, NDWI, NDSI, aspect, and RSR, moreover, all other predictors showed significant contributions to the prediction of ALT. The SMI, ELEVATION, SAVI, NDBI, SLOPE, LST, SR, EVI, VARI, and TVI were finally selected in the best model 5.14 with the smallest relative RMSE and AIC. The ALT highly varied over the study area with the spatial patterns inversely consistent with those of POP.The results are essential for the governments, policymakers, and other concerned stakeholders to estimate the degradation of permafrost in DTA and minimize the risk of policy decision-making for land use management and planning. This study will help to understand the global climate change, changing ecosystems, increasing concentration in the atmosphere, and human activity-induced disturbance

Feature selection of various land cover indices for monitoring surface heat island in Tehran city using Landsat 8 imagery

Recently, scientists have been taking a great interest in Global warming issue, since the global surface temperature has been significantly increased all through last century. The surface heat island (SHI) refers to an urban area that has higher surface temperatures than its surrounding rural areas due to urbanization. In this paper, Tehran city is used as case study area. This paper tries to employ a quantitative approach to explore the relationship between land surface temperature and the most widespread land cover indices, and select proper (urban and vegetation) indices by incorporating supervised feature selection procedures using Landsat 8 imageries. In this regards, genetic algorithm is incorporated to choose best indices by employing kernel base one, support vector regression and linear regression methods. The proposed method revealed that there is a high degree of consistency between affected information and SHI dataset (RMSE = 0.9324, NRMSE = 0.2695 and R2 = 0.9315). First published online: 30 May 201

Deteksi Perubahan Suhu Permukaan Tanah dan Hubungannya dengan Pengaruh Albedo dan NDVI Menggunakan Data Satelit Landsat-8 Multitemporal di Kota Palu Tahun 2013 - 2020

Gempa yang diikuti tsunami dan likuifaksi melanda Kota Palu pada 28 September 2018. Sejak saat itu, Kota Palu yang merupakan ibu kota Provinsi Sulawesi Tengah, Indonesia, menjadi pusat perhatian dunia. Berbagai kajian dilakukan untuk memperoleh informasi dari berbagai aspek, antara lain aspek terestrial, perubahan tutupan lahan, batuan, dan perubahan iklim. Teknologi penginderaan jauh memberikan kontribusi yang baik bagi proses penelitian, terutama untuk penelitian yang mencakup wilayah yang luas dan dalam jangka waktu yang lama. Salah satu kajian yang dapat dilakukan dengan menggunakan teknologi penginderaan jauh adalah kajian Suhu Permukaan Tanah (SPT) dengan menggunakan data satelit Landsat-8 multitemporal di Kota Palu. Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk mendeteksi SPT Kota Palu dari data satelit Landsat-8 multitemporal (2013-2020) dan hubungan antara LST dengan Albedo dan NDVI. Kanal Merah, Biru, NIR, SWIR1 dan SWIR2 digunakan untuk mendapatkan nilai albedo dan NDVI. Nilai emisivitas tanah dan vegetasi serta kanal termal digunakan untuk menentukan nilai LST. Selanjutnya koefisien determinasi (R2) digunakan untuk mengetahui korelasi antara LST dengan Albedo dan NDVI. Hasil dari penelitian ini adalah rata-rata peta sebaran LST dari tahun 2013 hingga 2020. Dari 30 titik sampel penelitian nilai LST antara 17,00 oC sampai 43,27 oC, rata-rata R2 antara LST dan NDVI adalah 0,657 (korelasi kuat), dan R2 antara LST dan Albedo 0,069 (korelasi sangat lemah)

Estimation of soil and vegetation temperatures with multiangular thermal infrared observations: IMGRASS, HEIFE, and SGP 1997 experiments

The potential of directional observations in the thermal infrared region for land surface studies is a largely uncharted area of research. The availability of the dual-view Along Track Scanning Radiometer (ATSR) observations led to explore new opportunities in this direction. In the context of studies on heat transfer at heterogeneous land surfaces, multiangular thermal infrared (TIR) observations offer the opportunity of overcoming fundamental difficulties in modeling sparse canopies. Three case studies were performed on the estimation of the component temperatures of foliage and soil. The first one included the use of multi-temporal field measurements at view angles of 0°, 23° and 52°. The second and third one were done with directional ATSR observations at view angles of 0° and 53° only. The first one was a contribution to the Inner-Mongolia Grassland Atmosphere Surface Study (IMGRASS) experiment in China, the second to the Hei He International Field Experiment (HEIFE) in China and the third one to the Southern Great Plains 1997 (SGP 1997) experiment in Oklahoma, United States. The IMGRASS experiment provided useful insights on the applicability of a simple linear mixture model to the analysis of observed radiance. The HEIFE case study was focused on the large oasis of Zhang-Ye and led to useful estimates of soil and vegetation temperatures. The SGP 1997 contributed a better understanding of the impact of spatial heterogeneity on the accuracy of retrieved foliage and soil temperatures. Limitations in the approach due to varying radiative and boundary layer forcing and to the difference in spatial resolution between the forward and the nadir view are evaluated through a combination of modeling studies and analysis of field data

Cloud Detection And Trace Gas Retrieval From The Next Generation Satellite Remote Sensing Instruments

Thesis (Ph.D.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2005The objective of this thesis is to develop a cloud detection algorithm suitable for the National Polar Orbiting Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS) Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) and methods for atmospheric trace gas retrieval for future satellite remote sensing instruments. The development of this VIIRS cloud mask required a flowdown process of different sensor models in which a variety of sensor effects were simulated and evaluated. This included cloud simulations and cloud test development to investigate possible sensor effects, and a comprehensive flowdown analysis of the algorithm was conducted. In addition, a technique for total column water vapor retrieval using shadows was developed with the goal of enhancing water vapor retrievals under hazy atmospheric conditions. This is a new technique that relies on radiance differences between clear and shadowed surfaces, combined with ratios between water vapor absorbing and window regions. A novel method for retrieving methane amounts over water bodies, including lakes, rivers, and oceans, under conditions of sun glint has also been developed. The theoretical basis for the water vapor as well as the methane retrieval techniques is derived and simulated using a radiative transfer model

SPATIO-TEMPORAL ANOMALIES IN SURFACE BRIGHTNESS TEMPERATURE PRECEDING VOLCANO ERUPTIONS DETECTED BY THE LANDSAT-8 THERMAL INFRARED SENSOR (CASE STUDY: KARANGETANG VOLCANO)

Indonesia's geological as part of the “ring of fire” includes the consequence that community life could be affected by volcanic activity. The catastrophic incidence of volcanic eruptions in the last ten years has had a disastrous impact on human life. To overcome this problem, it is necessary to conduct research on the strengthening of the early warning system for volcanic eruptions utilising remote sensing technology.  This study analyses spatial and temporal anomalies of surface brightness temperature in the peak area of Karangetang volcano during the 2018-2019 eruption. Karangetang volcano is an active volcano located in North Sulawesi, with a magmatic eruption type that releases lava flow. We analyse the anomalies in the brightness temperature from channel-10 of the Landsat-8 TIRS (Thermal Infrared Scanner) time series during the period in question. The results of the research demonstrate that in the case of Karangetang Volcano the eruptions of 2018-2019 indicate increases in the surface brightness temperature of the crater region. As this volcano has many craters, the method is also very useful to establish in which crater the center of the eruption occurred

Continuous change detection and classification of land cover using all available Landsat data

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Boston UniversityLand cover mapping and monitoring has been widely recognized as important for understanding global change and in particular, human contributions. This research emphasizes the use ofthe time domain for mapping land cover and changes in land cover using satellite images. Unlike most prior methods that compare pairs or sets of images for identifying change, this research compares observations with model predictions. Moreover, instead of classifying satellite images directly, it uses coefficients from time series models as inputs for land cover mapping. The methods developed are capable of detecting many kinds of land cover change as they occur and providing land cover maps for any given time at high temporal frequency. One key processing step of the satellite images is the elimination of "noisy" observations due to clouds, cloud shadows, and snow. I developed a new algorithm called Fmask that processes each Landsat scene individually using an object-based method. For a globally distributed set ofreference data, the overall cloud detection accuracy is 96%. A second step further improves cloud detection by using temporal information. The first application ofthe new methods based on time series analysis found change in forests in an area in Georgia and South Carolina. After the difference between observed and predicted reflectance exceeds a threshold three consecutive times a site is identified as forest disturbance. Accuracy assessment reveals that both the producers and users accuracies are higher than 95% in the spatial domain and approximately 94% in the temporal domain. The second application ofthis new approach extends the algorithm to include identification of a wide variety of land cover changes as well as land cover mapping. In this approach, the entire archive of Landsat imagery is analyzed to produce a comprehensive land cover history ofthe Boston region. The results are accurate for detecting change, with producers accuracy of 98% and users accuracies of 86% in the spatial domain and temporal accuracy of 80%. Overall, this research demonstrates the great potential for use of time series analysis of satellite images to monitor land cover change

A novel satellite mission concept for upper air water vapour, aerosol and cloud observations using integrated path differential absorption LiDAR limb sounding

We propose a new satellite mission to deliver high quality measurements of upper air water vapour. The concept centres around a LiDAR in limb sounding by occultation geometry, designed to operate as a very long path system for differential absorption measurements. We present a preliminary performance analysis with a system sized to send 75 mJ pulses at 25 Hz at four wavelengths close to 935 nm, to up to 5 microsatellites in a counter-rotating orbit, carrying retroreflectors characterized by a reflected beam divergence of roughly twice the emitted laser beam divergence of 15 µrad. This provides water vapour profiles with a vertical sampling of 110 m; preliminary calculations suggest that the system could detect concentrations of less than 5 ppm. A secondary payload of a fairly conventional medium resolution multispectral radiometer allows wide-swath cloud and aerosol imaging. The total weight and power of the system are estimated at 3 tons and 2,700 W respectively. This novel concept presents significant challenges, including the performance of the lasers in space, the tracking between the main spacecraft and the retroreflectors, the refractive effects of turbulence, and the design of the telescopes to achieve a high signal-to-noise ratio for the high precision measurements. The mission concept was conceived at the Alpbach Summer School 2010

Overview of Intercalibration of Satellite Instruments

Intercalibration of satellite instruments is critical for detection and quantification of changes in the Earth’s environment, weather forecasting, understanding climate processes, and monitoring climate and land cover change. These applications use data from many satellites; for the data to be interoperable, the instruments must be cross-calibrated. To meet the stringent needs of such applications, instruments must provide reliable, accurate, and consistent measurements over time. Robust techniques are required to ensure that observations from different instruments can be normalized to a common scale that the community agrees on. The long-term reliability of this process needs to be sustained in accordance with established reference standards and best practices. Furthermore, establishing physical meaning to the information through robust Système International d’unités traceable calibration and validation (Cal/Val) is essential to fully understand the parameters under observation. The processes of calibration, correction, stabilitymonitoring, and quality assurance need to be underpinned and evidenced by comparison with “peer instruments” and, ideally, highly calibrated in-orbit reference instruments. Intercalibration between instruments is a central pillar of the Cal/Val strategies of many national and international satellite remote sensing organizations. Intercalibration techniques as outlined in this paper not only provide a practical means of identifying and correcting relative biases in radiometric calibration between instruments but also enable potential data gaps between measurement records in a critical time series to be bridged. Use of a robust set of internationally agreed upon and coordinated intercalibration techniques will lead to significant improvement in the consistency between satellite instruments and facilitate accurate monitoring of the Earth’s climate at uncertainty levels needed to detect and attribute the mechanisms of change. This paper summarizes the state-of-the-art of postlaunch radiometric calibration of remote sensing satellite instruments through intercalibration