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At least 631 records · Page 35

Absolute Calibration of Optical Satellite Sensors Using Libya 4 Pseudo Invariant Calibration Site

The objective of this paper is to report the improvements in an empirical absolute calibration model developed at South Dakota State University using Libya 4 (+28.55 deg, +23.39 deg) pseudo invariant calibration site (PICS). The approach was based on use of the Terra MODIS as the radiometer to develop an absolute calibration model for the spectral channels covered by this instrument from visible to shortwave infrared. Earth Observing One (EO-1) Hyperion, with a spectral resolution of 10 nm, was used to extend the model to cover visible and near-infrared regions. A simple Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution function (BRDF) model was generated using Terra Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) observations over Libya 4 and the resulting model was validated with nadir data acquired from satellite sensors such as Aqua MODIS and Landsat 7 (L7) Enhanced Thematic Mapper (ETM+). The improvements in the absolute calibration model to account for the BRDF due to off-nadir measurements and annual variations in the atmosphere are summarized. BRDF models due to off-nadir viewing angles have been derived using the measurements from EO-1 Hyperion. In addition to L7 ETM+, measurements from other sensors such as Aqua MODIS, UK-2 Disaster Monitoring Constellation (DMC), ENVISAT Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) and Operational Land Imager (OLI) onboard Landsat 8 (L8), which was launched in February 2013, were employed to validate the model. These satellite sensors differ in terms of the width of their spectral bandpasses, overpass time, off-nadir-viewing capabilities, spatial resolution and temporal revisit time, etc. The results demonstrate that the proposed empirical calibration model has accuracy of the order of 3% with an uncertainty of about 2% for the sensors used in the study.

radiometric calibration↗

The prospects for detecting spectral shifts due to satellite sensor aging

Along with responsivity changes due to sensor aging, there may be concurrent spectral changes. A field-measurement approach for detecting postlaunch spectral changes is described. For illustration, one hypothetical model of change (spectral band shift) is explored through simulation for five satellite sensors. Two different types of natural terrain - vegetation and bare soil - are used as test targets.

Suits, G.↗

NuSTAR Detection of the Blazar B2 1023+25 at Redshift 5.3

B2 1023+25 is an extremely radio-loud quasar at zeta = 5.3 that was first identified as a likely high-redshift blazar candidate in the SDSS+FIRST quasar catalog. Here, we use the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) to investigate its non-thermal jet emission, whose high-energy component we detected in the hard X-ray energy band. The X-ray flux is approximately 5.5 × 10 (exp −14) erg cm(exp −2) s(exp −1) (5-10 keV) and the photon spectral index is Gamma(x) approx. =1.3-1.6. Modeling the full spectral energy distribution, we find that the jet is oriented close to the line of sight, with a viewing angle of approximately 3deg, and has significant Doppler boosting, with a large bulk Lorentz factor approximately 13, which confirms the identification of B2 1023+25 as a blazar. B2 1023+25 is the first object at redshift larger than 5 detected by NuSTAR, demonstrating the ability of NuSTAR to investigate the early X-ray universe and to study extremely active supermassive black holes located at very high redshift.

X-rays: general↗

Research in the application of spectral data to crop identification and assessment, volume 2

The development of spectrometry crop development stage models is discussed with emphasis on models for corn and soybeans. One photothermal and four thermal meteorological models are evaluated. Spectral data were investigated as a source of information for crop yield models. Intercepted solar radiation and soil productivity are identified as factors related to yield which can be estimated from spectral data. Several techniques for machine classification of remotely sensed data for crop inventory were evaluated. Early season estimation, training procedures, the relationship of scene characteristics to classification performance, and full frame classification methods were studied. The optimal level for combining area and yield estimates of corn and soybeans is assessed utilizing current technology: digital analysis of LANDSAT MSS data on sample segments to provide area estimates and regression models to provide yield estimates.

Daughtry, C. S. T.↗

An improved Venus cloud model

An inhomogeneous cloud model for Venus is presented in which a (transparent) sulfuric acid aerosol extends above the tropopause, but an (absorbing) sulfur aerosol consisting of much larger particles does not. It is shown that the temperature dependence of the absorption spectrum of sulfur, combined with the lapse rate in the planet's atmosphere, can explain the color of Venus. A simple 'black-white' radiative-transfer model is developed, the spectral reflectance of the cloud model is computed for the 60-km level in Marov's (1972) model atmosphere, and strong evidence is obtained that sulfur is the UV absorber on Venus. The wavelength variation of contrast in UV cloud features is analyzed, and absorption is found to increase with depth at every wavelength due to the inward increase in temperature. The black-white model is applied to CO2 absorption, variations in CO2 and UV absorption with phase angle are compared, and line profiles are calculated for pressure-broadened CO2 lines. The theoretical results are compared with Venera 9 and 10 data.

Young, A. T.↗

Swift/BAT Calibration and Spectral Response

The Burst Alert Telescope (BAT) aboard NASA#s Swift Gamma-Ray Burst Explorer is a large coded aperture gamma-ray telescope consisting of a 2.4 m (8#) x 1.2 m (4#) coded aperture mask supported 1 meter above a 5200 square cm area detector plane containing 32,768 individual 4 mm x 4 mm x 2 mm CZT detectors. The BAT is now completely assembled and integrated with the Swift spacecraft in anticipation of an October 2004 launch. Extensive ground calibration measurements using a variety of radioactive sources have resulted in a moderately high fidelity model for the BAT spectral and photometric response. This paper describes these ground calibration measurements as well as related computer simulations used to study the efficiency and individual detector properties of the BAT detector array. The creation of a single spectral response model representative of the fully integrated BAT posed an interesting challenge and is at the heart of the public analysis tool #batdrmgen# which computes a response matrix for any given sky position within the BAT FOV. This paper will describe the batdrmgen response generator tool and conclude with a description of the on-orbit calibration plans as well as plans for the future improvements needed to produce the more detailed spectral response model that is required for the construction of an all-sky hard x-ray survey.

Parsons, A.↗

The synchrotron-self-Compton process in spherical geometries. II - Application to active galactic nuclei

Observational implications and constraints on spherical nonthermal synchrotron self-Compton models with applications to AGNs are discussed. The Compton optical depth of the source and the synchrotron optical depth are considered, and plausible electron distributions are discussed. The alpha(0x), alpha(rx), and alpha(0r) system of comparing the fluxes in different energy bands is related to the nonthermal models, and sample spectra are presented that show the spectral features the models can produce. The models are applied to radio-quiet AGNs. It is shown that the infrared and X-ray continua of the AGNs can be produced by nonthermal processes.

Band, D. L.↗

Evaluation and modeling of the topographic effect on the spectral response from NADIR pointing sensors

A field experiment, using a hand-held radiometer, was designed and conducted to assess a simple theoretical incidence model for simulating the topographic effect of a uniform sand surface. Seven data sets were taken to compare effects of solar elevation and azimuth encountered at different times of year. Analysis of these data showed considerable variation in radiance values for different slope angles and aspects and that these values varied considerably with changes in solar elevation and azimuth. The field measured variations in spectral response were found to have generally strong correlations with the theoretical model. The reason for the occurrence of lower correlations are given and methods for improving the model are suggested. A model to simulate LANDSAT sensor response was applied to two subsets of the field data to establish the magnitude of the topographic effect on satellite data.

Holben, B. N.↗

Disk instability and the spectral evolution of the 1992 outburst of the intermediate polar GK Persei

The disk instability model can explain the previous history of dwarf-nova-like outbursts in the intermediate polar GK Per, which occur about once every three years. Disk models that reproduce the recurrence time and outburst light curves suggest that GK Per has a large effective inner disk radius (approx. 30-40 white dwarf radii) truncated by a strong magnetic field (10(exp 7) G). In this context, the effective radius is that of the portion of the disk that participates in the disk thermal instability. The radius derived is larger than the corotation radius, which must be an upper limit on the true dynamical inner radius of the disk. Disk instability models with this large effective inner radius predict that the ultraviolet continuum should be rather flat. Here we compare the predictions of the disk instability model to IUE observations of the 1981 outburst and to IUE and ROSAT observations of the recent 1992 outburst of GK Per. The model disk continuum spectral evolution is consistent with the observed UV and optical spectra, especially at maximum and in the early decay phase of the outburst. The consistency of the model with the observed UV spectra suggests that the effective inner radius of the disk is almost constant, independent of mass accretion rate, and that whatever structure lies between the effective inner radius and the corotation radius neither participates in the disk instability nor radiates substantially in the UV. The related physics of the inner disk region will be briefly discussed.

Kim, S.-W.↗

Deriving Broadband Radiances from Geostationary Satellite Visible Radiance Channels for Use in the CERES SYN1deg Product

The NASA CERES project was designed to monitor the Earth’s radiation budget, both at the regional and global scale. The CERES SSF1deg single satellite product provides TOA flux observations from Aqua, Terra, NPP, and NOAA-20. The SYN1deg product incorporates observations from Terra, Aqua, and geostationary (GEO) satellites. The GEO observations are included in the SYN1deg product to infer the regional diurnal cycle between CERES observations. GEO satellites throughout the CERES record have different narrowband spectral response functions and do not directly observe radiances over the broadband spectra of CERES instruments. Hence the emphasis of this study is improving the process of deriving broadband radiances from the myriad GEO visible channel observations. We present a new method for converting the narrowband radiances observed from GEO operational satellites. This study relies on radiative transfer model hyper-spectral radiances for many cloud and surface conditions under all angular conditions observed by GEO sensors. First, the hyper-spectral radiances from a radiative transfer model must be convolved with the spectral response function of the visible imager for each GEO sensor in the CERES record. For each angular bin and surface type, the clear-sky and multiple optical depth and phase cloudy-sky narrowband and broadband reflectance pairs are linearly regressed. This study found that, no matter how the scene conditions are stratified, for example the all-sky, clear-sky, ice or water clouds, they all provide similar linear regressions. This includes ocean glint conditions, where the clear-sky reflectance exceeds cloudy conditions and yet the relationship was found to be linear in the given angular bin. This infers that no GEO retrieved cloud information is necessary in the narrowband to broadband conversion process, which relies only on visible channel reflectance. Over land, most of the GEO visible channels do not observe the NIR vegetation reflectance. We intend to use land adjustment factors developed using the TOA reflectance difference between the real-time MODIS .86um and the .64um channel. We validate this approach by using coincident observational data between CERES and MODIS aboard Aqua and Terra as well as GEO and CERES observations .

CERES↗

Improvements in Virtual Sensors: Using Spatial Information to Estimate Remote Sensing Spectra

Various instruments are used to create images of the Earth and other objects in the universe in a diverse set of wavelength bands with the aim of understanding natural phenomena. Sometimes these instruments are built in a phased approach, with additional measurement capabilities added in later phases. In other cases, technology may mature to the point that the instrument offers new measurement capabilities that were not planned in the original design of the instrument. In still other cases, high resolution spectral measurements may be too costly to perform on a large sample and therefore lower resolution spectral instruments are used to take the majority of measurements. Many applied science questions that are relevant to the earth science remote sensing community require analysis of enormous amounts of data that were generated by instruments with disparate measurement capabilities. In past work [1], we addressed this problem using Virtual Sensors: a method that uses models trained on spectrally rich (high spectral resolution) data to "fill in" unmeasured spectral channels in spectrally poor (low spectral resolution) data. We demonstrated this method by using models trained on the high spectral resolution Terra MODIS instrument to estimate what the equivalent of the MODIS 1.6 micron channel would be for the NOAA AVHRR2 instrument. The scientific motivation for the simulation of the 1.6 micron channel is to improve the ability of the AVHRR2 sensor to detect clouds over snow and ice. This work contains preliminary experiments demonstrating that the use of spatial information can improve our ability to estimate these spectra.

Oza, Nikunj C.↗

Interior Noise Predictions in the Preliminary Design of the Large Civil Tiltrotor (LCTR2)

A prediction scheme was established to compute sound pressure levels in the interior of a simplified cabin model of the second generation Large Civil Tiltrotor (LCTR2) during cruise conditions, while being excited by turbulent boundary layer flow over the fuselage, or by tiltrotor blade loading and thickness noise. Finite element models of the cabin structure, interior acoustic space, and acoustically absorbent (poro-elastic) materials in the fuselage were generated and combined into a coupled structural-acoustic model. Fluctuating power spectral densities were computed according to the Efimtsov turbulent boundary layer excitation model. Noise associated with the tiltrotor blades was predicted in the time domain as fluctuating surface pressures and converted to power spectral densities at the fuselage skin finite element nodes. A hybrid finite element (FE) approach was used to compute the low frequency acoustic cabin response over the frequency range 6-141 Hz with a 1 Hz bandwidth, and the Statistical Energy Analysis (SEA) approach was used to predict the interior noise for the 125-8000 Hz one-third octave bands.

Grosveld, Ferdinand W.↗

Spectral energy distributions of active galactic nuclei between 0.1 and 100 microns

The 0.1-100-micron line-free spectral energy distributions of 29 AGN are characterized by fitting simple models to data from IRAS and IUE observations and ground-based NIR and optical spectrophotometry. The data are presented in tables and graphs and discussed in detail. It is found that nuclear dust does not play a major role in most of the Seyfert 1 galaxies and QSOs, which can be described by a model with four spectral components.

Edelson, R. A.↗

Mesoscale monitoring of the soil freeze/thaw boundary from orbital microwave radiometry

A technique was developed for mapping the spatial extent of frozen soils from the spectral characteristics of the 10.7 to 37 GHz radiobrightness. Through computational models for the spectral radiobrightness of diurnally heated freesing soils, a distinctive radiobrightness signature was identified for frozen soils, and the signature was cast as a discriminant for unsupervised classification. In addition to large area images, local area spatial averages of radiobrightness were calculated for each radiobrightness channel at 7 meteorologic sites within the test region. Local area averages at the meteorologic sites were used to define the preliminary boundaries in the Freeze Indicator discriminate. Freeze Indicator images based upon Nimbus 7, Scanning Multichannel Microwave Radiometer (SMMR) data effectively map temporal variations in the freeze/thaw pattern for the northern Great Plains at the time scale of days. Diurnal thermal gradients have a small but measurable effect upon the SMMR spectral gradient. Scale-space filtering can be used to improve the spatial resolution of a freeze/thaw classified image.

Dobson, Craig↗

Observation and Modeling of the Solar Transition Region: Multi-Spectral Solar Telescope Array Observations - 1

We report on observations of the solar atmosphere in several extreme-ultraviolet and far-ultraviolet bandpasses obtained by the Multi-Spectral Solar Telescope Array, a rocket-borne spectroheliograph, on flights in 1987, 1991, and 1994, spanning the last solar maximum. Quiet-Sun emission observed in the 171-175 Angstrom bandpass, which includes lines of O v, O VI, Fe IX, and Fe X, has been analyzed to test models of the temperatures and geometries of the structures responsible for this emission. Analyses of intensity variations above the solar limb reveal scale heights consistent with a quiet-Sun plasma temperature of 500,000 less than or equal to T (sub e) less than or equal to 800,000 K. The structures responsible for the quiet-Sun EUV emission are modeled as small quasi-static loops. We submit our models to several tests. We compare the emission our models would produce in the bandpass of our telescope to the emission we have observed. We find that the emission predicted by loop models with maximum temperatures between 700,000 and 900,000 K are consistent with our observations. We also compare the absolute flux predicted by our models in a typical upper transition region line to the flux measured by previous observers. Finally, we present a preliminary comparison of the predictions of our models with diagnostic spectral line ratios from previous observers. Intensity modulations in the quiet Sun are observed to occur on a scale comparable to the supergranular scale. We discuss the implications that a distribution of loops of the type we model here would have for heating the local network at the loops' footpoints.

Oluseyi, Hakeem M.↗

Principal Component-Based Radiative Transfer Model (PCRTM) for Hyperspectral Remote Sensors for UV, VVIS, NIR, IR, and FIR Spectral Regions

Fast and accurate radiative transfer models are needed to efficiently process satellite hyperspectral remote sensors. We have developed a Principal Component-based radiative transfer model (PCRTM) which can simulate TOA radiance or reflectance spectra in the cloudy atmosphere for far IR, IR, NIR, VIS, and UV spectral regions quickly and accurately. Multi-scattering of multiple layers of clouds/aerosols is included in the model. Polarization components can also be calculated. The computation speed is 3 to 4 orders of magnitude faster than MODTRAN5, LBLRTM, and VLIDORT. The PCRTM calculated radiance spectra agree with reference RTM calculated radiance spectra very well (0.03 K in IR and 0.05% in solar). Comparisons of the PCRTM model calculations with observed AIRS, CrIS, IASI, NAST-I, and SCIAMACHY data will be presented. The solar-PCRTM has been developed for CLARREO PathFinder (CPF) and has been extensively used for CPF science algorithms. The PCRTM can also be used for many current and future NASA future missions such as EMIT, SBG, TEMPO, and PACE.

pcrtm↗