Graduate Thesis Or Dissertation
 

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https://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/concern/graduate_thesis_or_dissertations/nv9353626

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Abstract
  • In the Pacific Northwest snow is an important natural resource. The inability to accurately measure or monitor this resource throughout remote areas is a hindrance to water management. ERTS-1 imagery provides the capability for extracting a significant amount of scientific information and data regarding snow conditions in accessible and inaccessible regions of the Pacific Northwest. The area examined to evaluate the utility of the ERTS system was in Crater Lake National Park, Oregon. The actual boundaries of the study area were determined by available high flight aerial photographs. An analysis was made for the snow conditions in the study area and factors affecting snow pack depletion were considered. High flight aerial photographs and ERTS-1 multispectral images were utilized throughout this research. The procedure followed a systematic approach establishing "ground truth" with the aerial photographs. The results from these examinations were then directly applied to the ERTS-1 images. It was determined that ERTS-1 imagery; 1) can be accurately utilized at a much larger scale (1:130,000) than was previously believed by other major researchers; 2) bands 4, 5, and 6 can be used to define maximum snow extent; 3) bands 6 and 7 delimit open areas which are snow covered; 4) rock outcroppings devoid of snow can be determined utilizing band 6; and 5) melting snow is indicated on band 7. These results have potential in the field of snow hydrology for the application of ERTS-1 images to snow pack monitoring, determining areas of concern in "the source area concept," and estimating snowmelt and stream runoff.
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Peer Reviewed