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....
Numerous studies have demonstrated that vegetation canopies affect snow
accumulation and ablation processes. In addition, estimates of remotely sensed snow
covered area can be biased by the presence of an overlying vegetation canopy.
Consequently, any attempts to measure, model, or map the distribution of snow in a
region with heterogeneous...
A general analytical framework was established to investigate the scale-related variabilities in remote
sensing. The variabilities were studied first by investigating canopy structure, canopy interaction with
light, relation between spectral reflectance and plant phenological parameters. The variabilities
simulated by the plant model were compared with the actual spectral data acquired...
Remote sensing offers the potential for monitoring photosynthesis over large temporal and spatial scales. The purpose of this thesis is to provide information that
will help to develop methods to predict photosynthesis from the light reflected by
canopies. The studies focused on a simple model of canopy photosynthetic potential:
Acanopy...
Wave breaking in the surf zone is an important forcing
mechanism on the generation of nearshore currents and in the driving
of sediment transport. At the same time, wave breaking can have
significant spatial and temporal variability that needs to be
accounted for in the description of nearshore processes. Remote...
This work investigates a methodology for estimating the ocean stratification gradient based on high-resolution, in space and time, remote sensing observations of internal wave propagation speeds. The internal wave speed observations were collected using a shore-based, X-band marine radar and the ocean vertical density profiles were collected simultaneously from an...
Visible through shortwave (VSWIR) spectral reflectance of the geologic units across the basal Tertiary nonconformity (BTN) is characterized at three spatially disparate locations in California. At two of these sites, location-specific spectral endmembers are obtained from AVIRIS imaging spectroscopy and linear spectral mixture models are used to visualize spatial patterns...
One fundamental concern in conservation biology is species abundance. For many taxa, however, these data are costly to obtain via direct observation and thus limited in geographic or temporal scope. Very high-resolution satellite imagery provides a means to address these limitations and provide remotely-sensed counts of large, colonial species. We...
The North Unit irrigation District of Central Oregon,
a water project developed under the guidelines of the
Bureau of Reclamation, is characterized by limited water
and the need for efficient utilization and control of the
irrigation system. To manage the limited water resource,
irrigators need a timely and economical method...
Irrigation is essential for profitable agriculture in the western
United States. It is the largest consumer of water and power in
Oregon. Conflicting uses of water and power and their scarcity demands
judicious planning for allocation of these resources. Creditable
baseline data are not only needed for irrigated crop acreages,...
