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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Estimating Forest Stand Height in Savannakhet, Lao PDR Using InSAR and Backscatter Methods with L-Band SAR Data

Forest stand height (FSH), or average canopy height, serves as an important indicator for forest monitoring. The information provided about above ground biomass for greenhouse gas emissions reporting, and estimating carbon storage is relevant for reporting for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+). A novel forest height estimation method utilizing a fusion of backscatter and Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) data from JAXA’s Advanced Land Observing Satellite Phased Array type L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (ALOS PALSAR) are applied to a use case in Savannakhet, Lao. Compared with LiDAR, the estimated height from the fusion method had an RMSE of 4.90 m and an R2 of 0.26. These results are comparable to previous studies using SAR estimation techniques. Despite limitations of data quality and quantity, the Savannakhet, Lao use case demonstrates the applicability of these techniques utilizing L-band SAR data for estimating FSH in tropical forests and can be used as a springboard for use of L-band data from the future NASA-ISRO SAR (NISAR) mission.

remote sensing↗
NASA NTRS1981

Stereographic observations from geosynchronous satellites - An important new tool for the atmospheric sciences

Observations of cloud geometry using scan-synchronized stereo geostationary satellites having images with horizontal spatial resolution of approximately 0.5 km, and temporal resolution of up to 3 min are presented. The stereo does not require a cloud with known emissivity to be in equilibrium with an atmosphere with a known vertical temperature profile. It is shown that absolute accuracies of about 0.5 km are possible. Qualitative and quantitative representations of atmospheric dynamics were shown by remapping, display, and stereo image analysis on an interactive computer/imaging system. Applications of stereo observations include: (1) cloud top height contours of severe thunderstorms and hurricanes, (2) cloud top and base height estimates for cloud-wind height assignment, (3) cloud growth measurements for severe thunderstorm over-shooting towers, (4) atmospheric temperature from stereo heights and infrared cloud top temperatures, and (5) cloud emissivity estimation. Recommendations are given for future improvements in stereo observations, including a third GOES satellite, operational scan synchronization of all GOES satellites and better resolution sensors.

Hasler, A. F.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Remote sensing of the ionospheric F layer by use of O I 6300-A and O I 1356-A observations

The possibility of using airglow techniques for estimating the electron density and height of the F layer is studied on the basis of a simple relationship between the height of the F2 peak and the column emission rates of the O I 6300 A and O I 1356 A lines. The feasibility of this approach is confirmed by a numerical calculation of F2 peak heights and electron densities from simultaneous measurements of O I 6300 A and O I 1356 A obtained with earth-facing photometers carried by the Ogo 4 satellite. Good agreement is established with the F2 peak heights estimates from top-side and bottom-side ionospheric sounding.

Chandra, S.↗
NASA NTRS2017

Atmospheric Modeling Using Accelerometer Data During Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) Flight Operations

The Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) spacecraft is a NASA orbiter designed to explore the Mars upper atmosphere, typically from 140 to 160 km altitude. In addition to the nominal science mission, MAVEN has performed several Deep Dip campaigns in which the orbit's closest point of approach, also called periapsis, was lowered to an altitude range of 115 to 135 km. MAVEN accelerometer data were used during mission operations to estimate atmospheric parameters such as density, scale height, along-track gradients, and wave structures. Density and scale height estimates were compared against those obtained from the Mars Global Reference Atmospheric Model and used to aid the MAVEN navigation team in planning maneuvers to raise and lower periapsis during Deep Dip operations. This paper describes the processes used to reconstruct atmosphere parameters from accelerometers data and presents the results of their comparison to model and navigation-derived values.

Tolson, Robert H.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Altimetry for non-Gaussian oceans - Height biases and estimation of parameters

The effects of a non-Gaussian ocean on satellite altimetry parameter estimation are discussed. The first part of this paper shows how non-Gaussian ocean parameters affect height estimation for satellites of the Seasat/Geosat/TOPEX type. In the second part, the estimation of the altimeter tracker bias and the non-Gaussian ocean parameters from the altimeter return signal is studied. A new convolution model that facilitates the deconvolution of the ocean surface specular point probability density function is introduced. Next, it is argued that it is not feasible in practice to estimate the electromagnetic bias from noisy altimeter returns. It is then shown that the least squares estimation of the surface parameters in the log-frequency domain has several advantages overestimating parameters in the time domain. The maximum likelihood estimation equations for the estimation of the waveform parameters are derived, and their solution is discussed.

Rodriguez, Ernesto↗
DOE OSTI2026

A Comprehensive Comparison of Building Height Products at a Global Level

The built environment continues to expand due to increasing human populations with some projections indicating additional growth of 2.5 billion persons by 2050. Buildings are a key component of the built environment and information on building height and urban morphology in general can help to better understand and address a host of development and urban planning issues including energy consumption, urbanization, population dynamics, urban heat islands, environmental degradation, and others. To date, several approaches have been developed to address the need for mapping building height at scale. These approaches can be grouped into two main categories: 1) directly measure height from remote sensing products or 2) indirectly estimate height from footprint morphology features at the building-by-building level. Due to a number of these global height datasets now being available for consumption and use across domains, there is a critical need to understand the differences displayed between these products and how the use of these may influence the outcome when applied. In this analysis, we compare and evaluate 5 global building height datasets: Global Human Settlement, World Settlement Footprint 3D, Global Building Morphology dataset, three-dimensional Global Building Footprints, and an approach developed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). Our analysis shows that, across 5 cities at a global scale with high-quality building height reference data, the approach developed by ORNL of inferring height at the building-by-building level is more accurate and consistent. This was evidenced by the ORNL product improving upon the baseline in all 5 cities, the only product to do so. These findings will aid researchers in choosing a global building height product that best meets their needs and provides global availability, consistency, and accuracy.

42 ENGINEERING↗
NASA NTRS1995

Observations of the Sea Ice Cover Using Satellite Radar Interferometry

The fringes observed in repeat pass interferograms are expressions of surface relief and relative displacements. The limiting condition in the application of spaceborne radar interferometry to the remote sensing of the sea ice cover is the large magnitude of motion between repeat passes. The translation and rotation of ice floes tend to decorrelate the observations rendering radar interferometry ineffective. In our study, we have located three images in the high Arctic during a period when there was negligible motion between repeat observations. The fringes obtained from these images show a wealth of information about the sea ice cover which is important in atmosphere-ice interactions and sea ice mechanics. These measurements provide the first detailed remote sensing view of the sea ice cover. Ridges can be observed and their heights estimated if the interferometric baseline allows. We have observed ridges with heights greater than 4m. The variability in the phase measurements over an area provides an indication of the large scale roughness. Relative centimetric displacements between rigid ice floes have been observed. We illustrate these observations with examples extracted from the interferograms formed from this set of ERS-1 SAR images.

sea ice cover, satellite, radar, interferometry↗
NASA NTRS1996

On Soil Moisture Retrieval and Target Decomposition

In an earlier study, an empirical model was developed to infer soil moisture and surface roughness from radar data. The inversion technique was extensively tested over bare surfaces by comparing the estimated soil moisture to in situ measurements. The overall RMS error in the soil moisture estimate was found to be 3.5% and the RMS error in the RMS height estimate was less than 0.35 cm absolute for bare or slightly vegetated surfaces. However, inversion results indicate that significant amounts of vegetation cause the algorithm to underestimate soil moisture and overestimate RMS height. Among the areas over which the inversion cannot be applied, the areas with intermediate vegetation cover are of particular interest as both the vegetation and the underlying bare surface affect the backscatter. This paper concentrates mostly on these areas. Using the full polarimetric information and the Cloude target decomposition approach. Three different components of the target backscattering can be isolated. One of these three components can be identified as the surface component in the case of intermediate vegetation cover. Once the surface component of the scattering is isolated, the bare surface inversion can then be applied.

Dubois, Pascale C.↗
NASA NTRS1982

The geology of Io

A preliminary geologic map of 34.8 percent of the surface of Io has been compiled using best-resolution Voyager 1 images. Nine volcanic units are identified, including materials of mountains, plains, flows, cones, and crater vents, in addition to six types of structural features. Photogeologic evidence indicates a dominantly silicate composition for the mountain material. Sulfur flows of diverse viscosity and sulfur-silicate mixtures may compose the extensive plans. Pit-crater and shield-crater vent-wall scarps reach heights of over two km, and layered-plains boundary scarps have estimated heights of 150 to 1700 m, indicating a material with considerable strength. A cumulative size-frequency distribution plot for 170 volcanic craters with diameters over 14 km is similar to the curves for impact craters on other bodies in the solar system, attesting to a similar nonrandom distribution of crater diameters and a surplus of small craters. A total of 151 lineaments and grabens forming two nearly orthogonal sets is recognized.

Schaber, G. G.↗
NASA NTRS1996

On Soil Moisture Retrieval and Target Decomposition

In an earlier study, an empirical model was developed to infer soil moisture and surface roughness from radar data. The inversion technique was extensively tested over bare surfaces by comparing the estimated soil moisture to in situ measurements. The overall root mean square (RMS) error in the soil moisture estimate was found to be about 3.5% and the RMS error in the RMS height estimate was less than 0.35 cm absolute for bare or slightly vegetated surfaces. However, inversion results indicate that significant amounts of vegetation cause the algorithm to underestimate soil moisture and overestimate RMS height. Among the areas over which the inversion cannot be applied, the areas with intermediate vegetation cover are of particular interest as both the vegetation and the underlying bare surface affect the backscatter. This paper concentrates mostly on these areas. Using the full polarimetric information and the Cloude target decomposition approach, three different components of the target backscattering can be isolated. One of these three components can be identified as the surface component in the case of intermediate vegetation cover. Once the surface component of the scattering is isolated, the bare surface inversion can then be applied.

Dubois, Pascale C.↗
NASA NTRS2004

MIT Haystack Observatory Analysis Center Report

The data from twenty years of the NCEP numerical weather model have been used to calculate the IMF hydrostatic mapping function for several sites distributed in latitude from -66 degrees to +78 degrees. Comparison of heights estimated with the NMF hydrostatic mapping function demonstrates that using NMFh results in height errors at annual and semi-annual periods with amplitudes as large as approximately 8 mm and 4 mm, respectively, when data down to 5 degrees are included. The errors are smallest at the equator and increase towards the poles.

Niell, Arthur↗
NASA NTRS2011

Shock Formation Height in the Solar Corona Estimated from SDO and Radio Observations

Wave transients at EUV wavelengths and type II radio bursts are good indicators of shock formation in the solar corona. We use recent EUV wave observations from SDO and combine them with metric type II radio data to estimate the height in the corona where the shocks form. We compare the results with those obtained from other methods. We also estimate the shock formation heights independently using white-light observations of coronal mass ejections that ultimately drive the shocks.

Gopalswamy, N.↗
NASA NTRS2015

Retrieving the Height of Smoke and Dust Aerosols by Synergistic Use of VIIRS, OMPS, and CALIOP Observations

Aerosol Single scattering albedo and Height Estimation (ASHE) algorithm was first introduced in Jeong and Hsu (2008) to provide aerosol layer height as well as single scattering albedo (SSA) for biomass burning smoke aerosols. One of the advantages of this algorithm was that the aerosol layer height can be retrieved over broad areas, which had not been available from lidar observations only. The algorithm utilized aerosol properties from three different satellite sensors, i.e., aerosol optical depth (AOD) and Ångström exponent (AE) from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), UV aerosol index (UVAI) from Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI), and aerosol layer height from Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP). Here, we extend the application of the algorithm to Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) and Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite (OMPS) data. We also now include dust layers as well as smoke. Other updates include improvements in retrieving the AOD of nonspherical dust from VIIRS, better determination of the aerosol layer height from CALIOP, and more realistic input aerosol profiles in the forward model for better accuracy.

aerosol↗
NASA NTRS2016

Retrieving the Height of Smoke and Dust Aerosols by Synergistic Use of Multiple Satellite Sensors

The Aerosol Single scattering albedo and Height Estimation (ASHE) algorithm was first introduced in Jeong and Hsu (2008) to provide aerosol layer height and single scattering albedo (SSA) for biomass burning smoke aerosols. By using multiple satellite sensors synergistically, ASHE can provide the height information over much broader areas than lidar observations alone. The complete ASHE algorithm uses aerosol data from MODIS or VIIRS, OMI or OMPS, and CALIOP. A simplified algorithm also exists that does not require CALIOP data as long as the SSA of the aerosol layer is provided by another source. Several updates have recently been made: inclusion of dust layers in the retrieval process, better determination of the input aerosol layer height from CALIOP, improvement in aerosol optical depth (AOD) for nonspherical dust, development of quality assurance (QA) procedure, etc.

satellite remote sensing↗
NASA NTRS2012

Forest Canopy Cover and Height from MISR in Topographically Complex Southwestern US Landscape Assessed with High Quality Reference Data

This study addresses the retrieval of spatially contiguous canopy cover and height estimates in southwestern USforests via inversion of a geometric-optical (GO) model against surface bidirectional reflectance factor (BRF) estimates from the Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR). Model inversion can provide such maps if good estimates of the background bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) are available. The study area is in the Sierra National Forest in the Sierra Nevada of California. Tree number density, mean crown radius, and fractional cover reference estimates were obtained via analysis of QuickBird 0.6 m spatial resolution panchromatic imagery usingthe CANopy Analysis with Panchromatic Imagery (CANAPI) algorithm, while RH50, RH75 and RH100 (50, 75, and 100 energy return) height data were obtained from the NASA Laser Vegetation Imaging Sensor (LVIS), a full waveform light detection and ranging (lidar) instrument. These canopy parameters were used to drive a modified version of the simple GO model (SGM), accurately reproducing patterns ofMISR 672 nm band surface reflectance (mean RMSE 0.011, mean R2 0.82, N 1048). Cover and height maps were obtained through model inversion against MISR 672 nm reflectance estimates on a 250 m grid.The free parameters were tree number density and mean crown radius. RMSE values with respect to reference data for the cover and height retrievals were 0.05 and 6.65 m, respectively, with of 0.54 and 0.49. MISR can thus provide maps of forest cover and height in areas of topographic variation although refinements are required to improve retrieval precision.

Chopping, Mark↗
NASA NTRS1994

Atmospheric pressure loading effects on Global Positioning System coordinate determinations

Earth deformation signals caused by atmospheric pressure loading are detected in vertical position estimates at Global Positioning System (GPS) stations. Surface displacements due to changes in atmospheric pressure account for up to 24% of the total variance in the GPS height estimates. The detected loading signals are larger at higher latitudes where pressure variations are greatest; the largest effect is observed at Fairbanks, Alaska (latitude 65 deg), with a signal root mean square (RMS) of 5 mm. Out of 19 continuously operating GPS sites (with a mean of 281 daily solutions per site), 18 show a positive correlation between the GPS vertical estimates and the modeled loading displacements. Accounting for loading reduces the variance of the vertical station positions on 12 of the 19 sites investigated. Removing the modeled pressure loading from GPS determinations of baseline length for baselines longer than 6000 km reduces the variance on 73 of the 117 baselines investigated. The slight increase in variance for some of the sites and baselines is consistent with expected statistical fluctuations. The results from most stations are consistent with approximately 65% of the modeled pressure load being found in the GPS vertical position measurements. Removing an annual signal from both the measured heights and the modeled load time series leaves this value unchanged. The source of the remaining discrepancy between the modeled and observed loading signal may be the result of (1) anisotropic effects in the Earth's loading response, (2) errors in GPS estimates of tropospheric delay, (3) errors in the surface pressure data, or (4) annual signals in the time series of loading and station heights. In addition, we find that using site dependent coefficients, determined by fitting local pressure to the modeled radial displacements, reduces the variance of the measured station heights as well as or better than using the global convolution sum.

Vandam, Tonie M.↗