A radiation model was developed for retrieving cloud visible optical depth,
droplet effective radius, and cloud top emission temperature using AVHRR satellite
observations at 0.63, 3.7, and 11 μm. The model was used to determine the sensitivity
of the retrieved properties to various approximations often employed in such retrievals.
Droplet...
Realistic assessment of the vertical distribution of clouds, particularly the occurrence of multi-layered systems, is critical for accurate calculations of radiative transfer in general circulation models. Such information is also useful in the design and improvement of satellite retrieval techniques. Current methods for retrieving cloud properties from satellite data assume...
Forest spatial pattern is a primary interest of landscape ecology due to the relationships between spatial configuration of biotic components and ecological processes. The spatial pattern must be measured in meaningful ways so that relationships between forests and their environment can be analyzed. Aerial and satellite imageries provide ecologists a...
Forest canopy cover presents a major challenge for remote sensing of fractional snow-covered area (ƒSCA). Snow cover is systematically underestimated where satellites sensors cannot penetrate the forest canopy. Current canopy adjustments scale observable ƒSCA with the vegetation fraction, assuming that snow cover distributions are similar between sub-canopy and open locations....
The HAPEX-MOBILHY regional experiment provided an significant opportunity to analyze
the partition of energy and distribution of water over land surfaces. The combination of
remotely sensed data and ground instrument networks over the large-scale in situ experiment
allowed investigation of spatial and temporal variation of such hydrologic parameters as the...
Potato ground cover and spectral data were measured
in the Columbia Basin during the 1990 growing season.
Three spectral were correlated with ground cover;
normalized difference, near infrared-red ratio, and the
first derivative of the spectral curve at 750 nm. All
models were statistically significant at the 99% level.
Normalized...
The influence of mesoscale ocean eddies on near-surface ocean temperature, surface stress and phytoplankton communities is investigated by collocating numerous satellite measurements along with vertical profiles of oceanic temperature and salinity to the interiors of eddies identified and tracked in altimetric sea surface height maps.
The surface currents associated with...
Airborne discrete-return lidar is an active remote sensing technology capable of obtaining accurate, fine-resolution three-dimensional measurements over large areas. Discrete-return lidar data produce three-dimensional object characterizations in the form of point clouds defined by precise x, y and z coordinates. The data also provide intensity values for each point that...
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Kevin D. Boston
Airborne discrete-return lidar is an active remotesensing technology
The 2007 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change assessment established that the effect of clouds on climate contributes the largest uncertainty in predicting the future climate. Satellite observations provide an opportunity for learning about the behavior of clouds. This thesis seeks to assess the accuracy of cloud properties retrieved from multispectral...
Adiabatic parcel models suggest specific relationships between cloud thickness and cloud properties. Such relationships govern cloud radiative forcing and thus cloud feedbacks in the climate system. Current remote sensing techniques work well at measuring these properties in low-level cloud systems that are overcast. Significant biases exist, however, when measuring cloud...