Lower atmospheric flux measurements are a difficult subset of atmospheric data to accurately collect. The interplay of cost, precision, specialty, resolution and repeatability compound an already difficult experimental problem. In response to this, a new, novel instrumentation approach to measuring within the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) is introduced.
The combination...
A thermal infrared (TIR) camera is used to remotely sense the foliage temperature in a mountain valley. The foliage temperature is used as a proxy for air temperature and can be used to study and map the dynamics of the nocturnal, weak-wind boundary layer in this valley. All radiative flux...
Methods for obtaining accurate, spatially explicit estimates of biomass density in tropical forests are required to reduce uncertainties in the global carbon cycle, and to support international climate agreements and emerging carbon markets. Three-dimensional (3-D) remote sensing techniques sensitive to the vertical structure of vegetation provide a unique opportunity for...
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...
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...
Terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) may provide a way to increase timber value recovery by replacing manual timber cruising with a simple-to-use, cost-effective alternative. TLS has been studied in several trials worldwide. Past studies have not compared TLS based estimates with mill estimates of stem value and volume.
Three differently stocked...
Lidar is able to provide height and cover information which can be used to estimate selected forest attributes precisely. However, for users to evaluate whether the additional cost and complication associated with using Lidar merits adoption requires that the protocol to use lidar be thoroughly described and that a basis...
Improvements have been made to the spatial coherence method for automatically determining cloud-free ocean radiances in satellite imagery by incorporating the spectral signatures of reflecting surfaces. The spatial coherence method relies on the fact that small-scale cloud-free regions typically exhibit uniform emission and uniform reflection. While small-scale overcast regions typically...
The accurate determination of cloud cover amount is important for characterizing the role of cloud feedbacks in the climate system. Clouds have a large influence on the climate system through their effect on the earth's radiation budget. As indicated by the NASA Earth Radiation Budget Experiment (ERBE), the change in...
Satellite technology represents the only technique for measuring sea surface temperatures (SSTs) on a global scale. SSTs are important as boundary conditions for climate and atmospheric boundary layer models which attempt to describe phenomena of all scales, ranging from local forecasts to predictions of global warming. Historical use of infrared...