Applications of SAR Interferometry in Earth and Environmental Science Research

This paper provides a review of the progress in regard to the InSAR remote sensing technique and its applications in earth and environmental sciences, especially in the past decade. Basic principles, factors, limits, InSAR sensors, available software packages for the generation of InSAR interferograms were summarized to support future applications. Emphasis was placed on the applications of InSAR in seismology, volcanology, land subsidence/uplift, landslide, glaciology, hydrology, and forestry sciences. It ends with a discussion of future research directions

Lateritic palaeosols of N.E. Africa: a remote sensing study

Remote sensing data and image processing techniques are used increasingly to aid scientific investigation and address geological problems in areas that are difficult to map by conventional methods. This thesis explores how multi spectral satellite data, supported by traditional geological techniques, facilitate a study of lateritic palaeosols. The work centres on laterites, which are thin but important elements of the Phanerozoic stratigraphy of NE Africa. They immediately pre-date midOligocene flood basalts and, if mapped, can be used to delineate a flood basalt-Iaterite contact and define the pre-30 Ma African Surface and uplift patterns. They have important engineering properties and are key to understanding basement alteration and its associated mineralization. They affect agriculture and groundwater quality and retention - essential in Sub-Saharan Aflica where access to safe water is limited. They dominate the landscape, yet are unmapped and marginalised in the literature. Their geological context supports a laterite-focused remote sensing mapping strategy. A strategy for geologic mapping of laterites based on their simple mineralogy and spectral characteristics that distinguish them from other rocks is developed. Methods for mapping are presented using Earth Observation data. The outcome is a series of regional geological maps of Eritrea and Ethiopia. These reveal that laterite cover is more extensive than previously thought and enable further lines of research. The maps provide a means of regional dating of laterites, which, together with ages obtained for overlying flood basalts and new basement cooling ages, indicate a major planation during the Palaeozoic and constrain the timing of associated uplift and erosion. A regional review of Mesozoic-Cenozoic climatic, strati graphic and structural evolution is presented and a model of Neogene deformation of the lateriteflood basalt datum is produced. Finally, laterite maps, petrographic and geochemical evidence are used to access basic essentials of life: clean water, a safe environment and a sustainable economy

Understanding Earth’s Polar Challenges:International Polar Year 2007-2008. Summary by the IPY Joint Committee.

The International Polar Year (IPY) 2007–2008, co-sponsored by ICSU and WMO, became the largest coordinated research program in the Earth’s polar regions, following in the footsteps of its predecessor, the first and second International Polar Years in 1881-1883 and 1932-1933 and the International Geophysical Year 1957–1958. The summary "Understanding Earth's Polar Challenges: International Polar Year 2007-2008" captures the context, motivations, initiation, planning, implementation and the outcomes of the International Polar Year (IPY) 2007–2008, as well as the lessons derived from this key undertaking

Understanding Earth's Polar Challenges: International Polar Year 2007-2008 - Summary by the IPY Joint Committee

The International Polar Year (IPY) 2007–2008, co-sponsored by ICSU and WMO, became the largest coordinated research program in the Earth’s polar regions, following in the footsteps of its predecessor, the first and second International Polar Years in 1881-1883 and 1932-1933 and the International Geophysical Year 1957–1958. An estimated 50,000 researchers, local observers, educators, students, and support personnel from more than 60 nations were involved in the 228 international IPY projects (170 in science, 1 in data management, and 57 in education and outreach) and related national efforts. IPY generated intensive research and observations in the Arctic and Antarctica over a two-year period, 1 March 2007–1 March 2009, with many activities continuing beyond that date. The summary "Understanding Earth's Polar Challenges: International Polar Year 2007-2008" captures the context, motivations, initiation, planning, implementation and the outcomes of the International Polar Year (IPY) 2007–2008, as well as the lessons derived from this key undertaking

Seasonal Change Detection Of Riparian Zones With Remote Sensing Images And Genetic Programming In A Semi-Arid Watershed

Riparian zones are deemed significant due to their interception capability of non-point source impacts and the maintenance of ecosystem integrity region wide. To improve classification and change detection of riparian buffers, this paper developed an evolutionary computational, supervised classification method - the RIparian Classification Algorithm (RICAL) - to conduct the seasonal change detection of riparian zones in a vast semi-arid watershed, South Texas. RICAL uniquely demonstrates an integrative effort to incorporate both vegetation indices and soil moisture images derived from LANDSAT 5 TM and RADARSAT-1 satellite images, respectively. First, an estimation of soil moisture based on RADARSAT-1 Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) images was conducted via the first-stage genetic programming (GP) practice. Second, for the statistical analyses and image classification, eight vegetation indices were prepared based on reflectance factors that were calculated as the response of the instrument on LANDSAT. These spectral vegetation indices were then independently used for discriminate analysis along with soil moisture images to classify the riparian zones via the second-stage GP practice. The practical implementation was assessed by a case study in the Choke Canyon Reservoir Watershed (CCRW), South Texas, which is mostly agricultural and range land in a semi-arid coastal environment. To enhance the application potential, a combination of Iterative Self-Organizing Data Analysis Techniques (ISODATA) and maximum likelihood supervised classification was also performed for spectral discrimination and classification of riparian varieties comparatively. Research findings show that the RICAL algorithm may yield around 90% accuracy based on the unseen ground data. But using different vegetation indices would not significantly improve the final quality of the spectral discrimination and classification. Such practices may lead to the formulation of more effective management strategies for the handling of non-point source pollution, bird habitat monitoring, and grazing and live stock management in the future