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At least 19 records

SeaWIFS Postlaunch Technical Report Series: The SeaWiFS Photometer Revision for Incident Surface Measurement (SeaPRISM) Field Commissioning - Volume 13

This report documents the scientific activities that took place at the Acqua Alta Oceanographic Tower (AAOT) in the northern Adriatic Sea off the coast of Italy from 2-6 August 1999. The ultimate objective of the field campaign was to evaluate the capabilities of a new instrument called the SeaWiFS Photometer Revision for Incident Surface Measurements (SeaPRISM). SeaPRISM is based on a CE-318 sun photometer made by CIMEL Electronique (Paris, France). The CE-318 is an automated, robotic system which measures the direct sun irradiance plus the sky radiance in the sun plane and in the almucantar plane. The data are transmitted over a satellite link, and this remote operation capability has made the device very useful for atmospheric measurements. The revision to the CE-318 that makes the instrument potentially useful for SeaWiFS calibration and validation activities is to include a capability for measuring the radiance leaving the sea surface in wavelengths suitable for the determination of chlorophyll a concentration. The initial evaluation of this new capability involved above- and in-water measurement protocols. An intercomparison of the water-leaving radiances derived from SeaPRISM and an in-water system showed the overall spectral agreement was approximately 8.6%, but the blue-green channels intercompared at the 5% level. A blue-green band ratio comparison was at the 4% level.

Hooker, Stanford B.↗

First Assessments of ICESat-2 Performance Using Aircraft Data

The Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2) Is a next-generation laser altimeter designed to continue key observations of ice sheet elevation change, sea ice freeboard, vegetation canopy height, earth surface elevation, and sea surface height. Scheduled for launch in early 2016, ICESat-2 will use a high repetition rate (approximately 10 kHz), small footprint (10m diameter) laser, and a single-photon-sensitive detection strategy (photon counting) to measure precise ranges to the earth's surface. Operating in the green (approximately 532nm), the six beams of ICESat-2 will provide improved spatial coverage compared with ICESat while the differences in transmit energy among the beams provide a large dynamic range. In order to evaluate models of predicted ICESat-2 performance, and provide ICESat-2-like data for algorithm development an airborne ICESat-2 simulator was developed and first flown in 2010, this simulator, the Multiple Altimeter Beam Experimental Lidar (MABEL) has now had three deployments in the western US, and will be deployed to the polar regions in spring of 2012. MABEL uses a similar measurement strategy to what will be used on ICESat-2. MABEL collects more spatially-dense data than ICESat-2 (approximately 2-cm along track) with a smaller 2m diameter footprint in 16 green channels and an additional 8 channels in the infrared. The comparison between frequencies allows for analysis of possible penetration of green energy into water or snow. We present MABEL data collected over deserts, forests, ocean water, lakes. snow covered mountains, and saft flats, provide examples of how these data are being used to develop algorithms that derive geophysical products from ICESat 2 and assess expected performances.

Neumann, Tom↗

DCP-collected absolute target reflectance signatures assist accurate interpretation of ERTS-1 imagery

Data collection platforms (DCP's) are being used at a Black Hills, South Dakota, test site (MMC 226A) to record radiometric measurements needed to determine solar and atmospheric parameters that affect ERTS-1 multispectral scanner radiance measurements. A total of 72 channels of analog data transmitted from an unattended ground truth site via three DCP's at least six times a day. The system has operated with only minor problems since September, sending forth daily measurements of biophysical responses and atmospheric conditions. Comparisons of scene radiance data calculated from ERTS images with that measured on the ground show the image-measured values to be 35 percent higher for the green channel and 20 percent higher for the red channel for the same scene targets. Radiance values for channels 6 and 7 are nearly the same from the ground data and from the imagery.

Weber, F. P.↗

Initial analysis of OSTA-1 ocean color experiment imagery

NASA's Ocean Color Experiment (OCE) was designed to map ocean features with an eight-channel scanning radiometer installed on the second flight of the Space Shuttle Columbia. Digital computer enhancement and band-ratio techniques were applied to radiometrically corrected spectral data in order to emphasize chlorophyll distribution patterns. Such a pattern was evident in the Yellow Sea between Korea and China, and the effects of discharge from the Yangtze and other rivers were also observed. Two scenes, from orbits 30 and 32, revealed the movement of plankton patches in the Gulf of Cadiz. Geometric correction of the images permitted ocean current velocities to be deduced, and water depth variability over the Grand Bahama Bank was estimated by means of OCE's blue-green channel. Bottom-reflected sunlight produced a sensor signal that was inversely related to water depth.

Kim, H. H.↗

An investigation of surface albedo variations during the recent sahel drought

Applications Technology Satellite 3 green sensor data were used to measure surface reflectance variations in the Sahara/Sahel during the recent drought period; 1967 to 1974. The magnitude of the seasonal reflectance change is shown to be as much as 80% for years of normal precipitation and less than 50% for drought years. Year to year comparisons during both wet and dry seasons reveal the existence of a surface reflectance cycle coincident with the drought intensity. The relationship between the green reflectance and solar albedo is examined and estimated to be about 0.6 times the reflectance change observed by the green channel.

Norton, C. C.↗

An investigation of surface albedo variations during the recent Sahel drought

Applications Technology Satellite (ATS) 3 green sensor data are used to measure surface reflectance variations in the Sahara/Sahel during the recent drought period 1967-74. The magnitude of the seasonal reflectance change is shown to be as much as 80% for years of normal precipitation and less than 50% for drought years. Year-to-year comparisons during both wet and dry seasons reveal the existence of a surface reflectance cycle coincident with the drought intensity. The relationship between the green reflectance and solar albedo is examined and estimated to be about 0.6 times the reflectance change observed by the green channel.

Norton, C. C.↗

First Assessments of Predicted ICESat-2 Performance Using Aircraft Data

The Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2) is a next-generation laser altimeter designed to continue key observations of ice sheet elevation change, sea ice freeboard, vegetation canopy height, earth surface elevation, and sea surface height. Scheduled for launch in mid-2016, ICESat-2 will use a high repetition rate (10 kHz), small footprint (10 m nominal ground diameter) laser, and a single-photon-sensitive detection strategy (photon counting) to measure precise range to the earth's surface. Using green light (532 nm), the six beams of ICESat-2 will provide improved spatial coverage compared with the single beam of ICESat, while the differences in transmit energy among the beams provide a large dynamic range. The six beams are arranged into three pairs of beams which allow slopes to measured on an orbit-by-orbit basis. In order to evaluate models of predicted ICESat-2 performance and provide ICESat-2-like data for algorithm development, an airborne ICESat-2 simulator was developed and first flown in 2010. This simulator, the Multiple Altimeter Beam Experimental Lidar (MABEL) was most recently deployed to Iceland in April 2012 and collected approx 85 hours of science data over land ice, sea ice, and calibration targets. MABEL uses a similar photon-counting measurement strategy to what will be used on ICESat-2. MABEL collects data in 16 green channels and an additional 8 channels in the infrared aligned across the direction of flight. By using NASA's ER-2 aircraft flying at 20km altitude, MABEL flies as close to space as is practical, and collects data through approx 95% of the atmosphere. We present background on the MABEL instrument, and data from the April 2012 deployment to Iceland. Among the 13 MABEL flights, we collected data over the Greenland ice sheet interior and outlet glaciers in the southwest and western Greenland, sea ice data over the Nares Strait and Greenland Sea, and a number of small glaciers and ice caps in Iceland and Svalbard. Several of the flights were coincident in time and space with NASA's Operation IceBridge, which provides an independent data set for validation. MABEL also collected data along CryoSat track 10482 in north central Greenland approximately one month after CryoSat passed overhead.

Neumann, Thomas↗

Monitoring O3 and Aerosols with the NASA LaRC Mobile Ozone Lidar System

The NASA's Langley Mobile Ozone Lidar (LMOL) system routinely measures tropospheric ozone and aerosol profiles, and is part of the Tropospheric Lidar Network (TOLNet). Recent upgrades to the system include a new pump laser that has tripled the transmission output power extending measurements up to 8 km in altitude during the day. In addition, software and algorithm developments have improved data output quality and enabled a real-time ozone display capability. In 2016, a number of ozone features were captured by LMOL, including the dynamics of an early-season ozone exceedance that impacted the Hampton Roads region. In this presentation, we will review current LMOL capabilities, recent air quality events observed by the system, and show a comparison of aerosol retrieval through the UV channel and the green line channel.

Ganoe, Rene↗

A concept for a transparent data acquisition and distribution system for spaceflight applications

The paper describes the Modular Data System concept of the NASA End-to-End Data System program. Data from a single instrument along with the necessary ancillary data will be assembled into self-contained packets and subsequently transmitted over various communications links (space telemetry channel, ground communications circuits, etc.) to the experimenter's facility in real time; reliable error control coding will be included in each link transmission to protect the integrity of the data packets. A major objective is to make the entire data acquisition and distribution process transparent to the experimenter in the sense that the output terminal of the distribution system will be physically, logically and electrically identical to that of the experiment output channel.

Greene, E. P.↗

An analysis of haze effects on LANDSAT multispectral scanner data

Early season changes in optical depth change brightness, primarily along the soil line; and during crop development, changes in optical depth change both greenness and brightness. Thus, the existence of haze in the imagery could cause an unsuspecting analyst to interpret the spectral appearance as indicating an episodal event when, in fact, haze was present. The techniques for converting LANDSAT-3 data to simulate LANDSAT-2 data are in error. The yellowness and none such computations are affected primarily. Yellowness appears well correlated to optical depth. Experimental evidence with variable background and variable optical depth is needed, however. The variance of picture elements within a spring wheat field is related to its equivalent in optical depth changes caused by haze. This establishes the sensitivity of channel 1 (greenness) pixels to changes in haze levels. The between field picture element means and variances were determined for the spring wheat fields. This shows the variability of channel data on two specific dates, emphasizing that crop development can be influenced by many factors. The atmospheric correction program ATCOR reduces segment data from LANDSAT acquisitions to a common haze level and improves the results of analysis.

Johnson, W. R.↗

The results of initial analysis of OSTA-1/Ocean Color Experiment (OCE) imagery

Ocean view images from the Ocean Color Experiment (OCE) were produced at three widely separated locations on the Earth. Digital computer enhancement and band ratioing techniques were applied to radiometrically corrected OCE spectral data to emphasize patterns of chlorophyll distribution and, in one shallow, clear water case, bottom topography. The chlorophyll pattern in the Yellow Sea between China and Korea was evident in a scene produced from Shuttle Orbit 24. The effects of the discharge from the Yangtze and other rivers were also observed. Two scenes from orbits 30 and 32 revealed the movement of patches of plankton in the Gulf of Cadiz. Geometrical corrections to these images permitted the existing ocean current velocities in the vicinity to be deduced. The variability in water depth over the Grand Bahama Bank was estimated by using the blue-green OCE channel. The very clear water conditions in the area caused bottom reflected sunlight to produce a sensor signal which was related inversely to the depth of the water.

Kim, H. H.↗

Utilizing a Database of Simulated Geometric Albedo Spectra for Photometric Characterization of Rocky Exoplanet Atmospheres

In anticipation of future flagship missions focused on the goal of achieving direct imaging of rocky exoplanets, we have developed a database of models to help the community examine the potential spectral characteristics of a broad range of rocky planet atmospheres. Using the publicly available Planetary Spectrum Generator, we have computed a grid of 141,600 rocky exoplanet geometric albedo spectra across a seven-dimensional parameter space. Using this grid, we have performed a color–color analysis seeking to identify the most useful near-UV and red or near-infrared photometric follow-up channels to combine with a green-optical(discovery)spectral channel. We found that a combination of filters at 0.4, 0.58, and∼0.8μm were able to distinguish between atmospheres with moderate-to-high concentrations of four different dominant absorbing constituents, given at least 10 hr of observation on a star at 10 parsec with a 15 m class space telescope; however, more moderate abundances similar to those of solar system rocky bodies would be more challenging to detect. We recommend that future missions seeking to characterize directly imaged rocky exoplanets by colors alone further consider multiband photometry as a first discriminator for planetary characteristics.

Adam J R W Smith↗

Color and Luminance Analysis of the Space Shuttle Multifunction Display Units(MDUs)

The purpose of this evaluation is to measure and analyze the colors that can be shown on the Multifunction Display Units (MDUs) of the Space Shuttle cockpit. The evaluation was conducted in the JSC Avionics Engineering Laboratory (JAEL) in building 16A at NASA Johnson Space Center. The JAEL contains a suite of 11 MDUs, each of which can be configured to show colors based on input values of the MDU red, green and blue (RGB) channels. Each of the channels has a range of 0 to 15. For example, bright green is produced by setting RGB to 0,15,0, and orange is produced by setting RGB to 15,4,0. The Cockpit Avionics Upgrade (CAU) program has specified the RGB settings for 14 different colors in the Display Design document (Rev A, 29 June 2001). The analysis in this report may help the CAU program determine better RGB settings for the colors.

McCandless, Jeffrey W.↗

On the spectral reflectance properties of materials exposed at the Viking landing sites

Reflectance data derived from Viking Lander multispectral data were used to characterize the types of soils and blocks exposed at the landing sites and to search for evidence of relatively unaltered igneous rocks. A comprehensive effort was mounted to examine multispectral data that combines testing of camera radiometric calibrations, explicitly removing the effects of atmospheric attenuation and skylight, and quantitatively comparing the corrected data to reflectance data from laboratory materials. Bi-directional reflectances for blue, green and red channels were determined for 31 block and soil exposures at Viking landing sites.

Guinness, E.↗

On the spectral reflectance properties of materials exposed at the Viking landing sites

Bidirectional reflectances for the blue, green, and red channels were determined for 31 block and soil exposures imaged by the two Viking Lander Cameras on Mars and were calibrated to within 10 percent uncertainties. The observed variations in bidirectional reflectance in the visible and relative brightness in the IR could be best explained by varying degrees of oxidation and ferric iron crystallinity, while most block surfaces had reflectances consistent with thin to optically thick covers of palagonitic material. These results are consistent with the conclusion that blocks seen at both sites are mafic rocks coated to varying thicknesses with amorphous oxidized material. The differences observed in reflectance properties for common block surfaces and common soils imply that local weathering of blocks has not contributed significantly to the soil exposed at the landing sites.

Guinness, Edward A.↗

Seeing the Soils of Meridiani Planum Through the Eyes of Pancam and Microscopic Imager

We are using data from the Pancam and Microscopic Imager (MI) on the Opportunity rover to characterize the soil grains at Meridiani Planum. We have traced individual grains in all MI images of the soils using the software application ImageJ distributed by NIH, and subsequently derived size and shape properties about the grains. The resolution of the MI is 31 microns per pixel [1] so we limit our measurements to those grains larger than about 0.3 mm in size. In cases where the grain is partially or substantially buried by other grains or finer soil particles, we do not make a measurement. False-color composites from Pancam images that cover the same location imaged by MI are made from the Left 2,5,6 (753, 535, 482 nm) filters or Right 2,7,1 (753, 1009, 430 nm) filters [2] in the Red, Green, and Blue channels, respectively. These color images are then merged with the MI images to illustrate color properties of particular grains. Pancam spectra are also extracted from grains when there is sufficient spatial coverage. in diameter. Figure 2 illustrates the dominance of these small grains at this particular location, which happens to be on the southern wall of Eagle crater. The Pancam color merge with this MI image suggests that the small spherules are more consistent with the basalt grains than the blueberries (spherulitic concretions derived from outcrop rocks [7]). The resolution of Pancam images of this location is on the order of 0.5 mm so the grains are only barely resolved. A Mossbauer measurement taken on an adjacent soil (Sol 53 Vanilla) that is composed solely of these smaller spherules (Fig 1) is consistent with a basaltic composition for the grains. Their concentration at this particular location in a brighter, elongate patch along the southeastern wall compared to elsewhere inside Eagle crater suggests wind activity favored their transport and subsequent deposition here. Their spherical shape is also possibly the result of wind action rounding them during transport, though water action cannot be ruled out.

Weitz, C. M.↗