Effect of Revisit Frequency and Availability of Cloud-free Observation on Landsat Global Burned Area Mapping

Effect of Revisit Frequency and Availability of Cloud-free Observation on Landsat Global Burned Area Mapping PDF Author: Andrea Melchiorre
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Burning of land
Languages : en
Pages : 272

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Book Description
Fire is one of the most relevant disturbances affecting terrestrial ecosystems globally, altering vegetation, soil, water, and atmospheric composition. Fire causes a non-permanent land cover change, through the removal of vegetation, the deposition of charcoal and ashes, and the exposure of soil; the temporal persistence of these changes is highly variable, ranging from a few weeks in tropical savannas to years in boreal forests. Global burned area products have been systematically generated in the past 20 years from several coarse spatial resolution (250 m - 1 km) Earth Observation (EO) systems. These products are the main input in global biomass burning atmospheric emission inventories, and in the most recent studies on the role of fire in the global carbon cycle and vegetation dynamics. Because of the non-permanent nature of burned areas, the algorithms employed for the generation of global burned area products rely on the availability of daily or near-daily observations from coarse resolution EO systems. The high revisit frequency ensures that a sufficient number of cloud-free observations are generally available globally before burned areas disappear, with few exceptions in known locations of persistent cloud cover. The systematic generation of moderate spatial resolution (10 m - 30 m) burned area products could potentially meet the needs of a variety of fire science and applications communities, and at different scales from global (e.g., pyrogenic carbon emissions estimation) to regional scale (e.g., environmental post-fire assessment and remediation decision support). Algorithms for the generation of moderate resolution burned area maps have been recently prototyped regionally and continentally, and have the potential for global implementation. However, ,moderate resolution sensors have reduced temporal resolution (e.g., 16 days for Landsat) compared to coarse resolution sensors (e.g., ~1 day for MODIS), which could potentially lead to omission errors in ecosystems where the spectral signal associated with burning events disappears quickly, and cloud cover limits the number of valid observations. My dissertation focuses on estimating the combined effect of the impermanent nature of land cover change typical of burning events and the cloud cover, which reduces the number of valid observations available to detect burns, on global burned area mapping using Landsat data. The dissertation has three objectives. The first objective (Chapter 2) is to estimate the temporal persistence time of the signal associated with burned areas, stratified by ecosystem and land cover type, making use of the global, multiyear MODIS data record. The second objective (Chapter 3) is to evaluate the suitability of the MODIS-derived cloud mask as a proxy for Landsat 7 cloud observations. Finally, the third objective (Chapter 4) is to estimate the potential omission errors in a hypothetical global Landsat burned area product, due to the combined effect of reduced revisit frequency and cloud contamination. Chapter 2 presents a global analysis of the burned area persistence time defined as the duration of the spectral separability of the burned / unburned areas mapped by the MODIS Global Burned Area Product (MCD64). The separability was computed by analyzing time series of normalized burn ratio (NBR) from nadir BRDF-adjusted MODIS reflectances (MCD43). Results showed that, globally, the median burned area persistence time was estimated as 29 days and 86.6% of the global area, as detected by MODIS, can be detected accurately only for up to 48 days. Furthermore, the results indicated that early and late fires had a shorter persistence time compared to fires burning in the central portion of the fire season. The results, therefore, indicate that the persistence time can be a limiting factor for mapping burned areas using moderate resolution satellite sensors, which have a low temporal resolution (e.g. Landsat 16 days, Sentinel 2A and 2B 10 days each, 5 days when used in combination). Chapter 3 presents a comparison of Landsat and MODIS cloud data. Landsat 7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) image cloud fractions over land were compared with collocated MODIS cloud fractions, generated by combining the MODIS-Terra global daily cloud mask product (MOD35) with the Landsat 7 ETM+ image footprints and acquisition calendar. The results showed high correlation between the MODIS and Landsat 7 ETM+ cloud fractions (R2 = 0.83), negligible bias (median difference:

First Order Fire Effects Model

First Order Fire Effects Model PDF Author: Elizabeth D. Reinhardt
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Fire ecology
Languages : en
Pages : 72

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Book Description
A First Order Fire Effects Model (FOFEM) was developed to predict the direct consequences of prescribed fire and wildfire. FOFEM computes duff and woody fuel consumption, smoke production, and fire-caused tree mortality for most forest and rangeland types in the United States. The model is available as a computer program for PC or Data General computer.

Remote Sensing of Night-time Light

Remote Sensing of Night-time Light PDF Author: Christopher Elvidge
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 1000431061
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 310

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Book Description
Satellite images acquired at night provide a visually arresting perspective of the Earth and the human activities that light up the otherwise mostly dark Earth. These night-time light satellite images can be compiled into a geospatial time series that represent an invaluable source of information for both the natural and social sciences. Night-time light remote sensing has been shown to be particularly useful for a range of natural science and social science applications, including studies relating to urban development, demography, sociology, fishing activity, light pollution and the consequences of civil war. Key sensors for these time-series include the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program’s Operational Linescan System (DMSP/OLS) and the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership Satellite’s Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite Day/Night Band (Suomi NPP/VIIRS DNB). An increasing number of alternative sources are also available, including high spatial resolution and multispectral sensors. This book captures key methodological issues associated with pre-processing night-time light data, documents state of the art analysis methods, and explores a wide range of applications. Major sections focus on NPP/VIIRS DNB processing; inter-calibration between NPP/VIIRS and DMPS/OLS; applications associated with socio-economic activities, applications in monitoring urbanization; and fishing activity monitoring. The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of the International Journal of Remote Sensing.

Thriving on Our Changing Planet: A Decadal Strategy for Earth Observation from Space

Thriving on Our Changing Planet: A Decadal Strategy for Earth Observation from Space PDF Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309492432
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 29

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Book Description
We live on a dynamic Earth shaped by both natural processes and the impacts of humans on their environment. It is in our collective interest to observe and understand our planet, and to predict future behavior to the extent possible, in order to effectively manage resources, successfully respond to threats from natural and human-induced environmental change, and capitalize on the opportunities â€" social, economic, security, and more â€" that such knowledge can bring. By continuously monitoring and exploring Earth, developing a deep understanding of its evolving behavior, and characterizing the processes that shape and reshape the environment in which we live, we not only advance knowledge and basic discovery about our planet, but we further develop the foundation upon which benefits to society are built. Thriving on Our Changing Planet: A Decadal Strategy for Earth Observation from Space (National Academies Press, 2018) provides detailed guidance on how relevant federal agencies can ensure that the United States receives the maximum benefit from its investments in Earth observations from space, while operating within realistic cost constraints. This short booklet, designed to be accessible to the general public, provides a summary of the key ideas and recommendations from the full decadal survey report.

Google Earth Engine Applications

Google Earth Engine Applications PDF Author: Lalit Kumar
Publisher: MDPI
ISBN: 3038978841
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 420

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Book Description
In a rapidly changing world, there is an ever-increasing need to monitor the Earth’s resources and manage it sustainably for future generations. Earth observation from satellites is critical to provide information required for informed and timely decision making in this regard. Satellite-based earth observation has advanced rapidly over the last 50 years, and there is a plethora of satellite sensors imaging the Earth at finer spatial and spectral resolutions as well as high temporal resolutions. The amount of data available for any single location on the Earth is now at the petabyte-scale. An ever-increasing capacity and computing power is needed to handle such large datasets. The Google Earth Engine (GEE) is a cloud-based computing platform that was established by Google to support such data processing. This facility allows for the storage, processing and analysis of spatial data using centralized high-power computing resources, allowing scientists, researchers, hobbyists and anyone else interested in such fields to mine this data and understand the changes occurring on the Earth’s surface. This book presents research that applies the Google Earth Engine in mining, storing, retrieving and processing spatial data for a variety of applications that include vegetation monitoring, cropland mapping, ecosystem assessment, and gross primary productivity, among others. Datasets used range from coarse spatial resolution data, such as MODIS, to medium resolution datasets (Worldview -2), and the studies cover the entire globe at varying spatial and temporal scales.

Creating Cloud-free Landsat ETM+ Data Sets in Tropical Landscapes

Creating Cloud-free Landsat ETM+ Data Sets in Tropical Landscapes PDF Author: Sebastian Martinuzzi
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Landsat satellites
Languages : en
Pages : 20

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Book Description


Phenological Research

Phenological Research PDF Author: Irene L. Hudson
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 9048133351
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 525

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Book Description
As climate change continues to dominate the international environmental agenda, phenology – the study of the timing of recurring biological events – has received increasing research attention, leading to an emerging consensus that phenology can be viewed as an ‘early warning system’ for climate change impact. A multidisciplinary science involving many branches of ecology, geography and remote sensing, phenology to date has lacked a coherent methodological text. This new synthesis, including contributions from many of the world’s leading phenologists, therefore fills a critical gap in the current biological literature. Providing critiques of current methods, as well as detailing novel and emerging methodologies, the book, with its extensive suite of references, provides readers with an understanding of both the theoretical basis and the potential applications required to adopt and adapt new analytical and design methods. An invaluable source book for researchers and students in ecology and climate change science, the book also provides a useful reference for practitioners in a range of sectors, including human health, fisheries, forestry, agriculture and natural resource management.

Thermal Infrared Remote Sensing

Thermal Infrared Remote Sensing PDF Author: Claudia Kuenzer
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 9400766394
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 547

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Book Description
This book provides a comprehensive overview of the state of the art in the field of thermal infrared remote sensing. Temperature is one of the most important physical environmental variables monitored by earth observing remote sensing systems. Temperature ranges define the boundaries of habitats on our planet. Thermal hazards endanger our resources and well-being. In this book renowned international experts have contributed chapters on currently available thermal sensors as well as innovative plans for future missions. Further chapters discuss the underlying physics and image processing techniques for analyzing thermal data. Ground-breaking chapters on applications present a wide variety of case studies leading to a deepened understanding of land and sea surface temperature dynamics, urban heat island effects, forest fires, volcanic eruption precursors, underground coal fires, geothermal systems, soil moisture variability, and temperature-based mineral discrimination. ‘Thermal Infrared Remote Sensing: Sensors, Methods, Applications’ is unique because of the large field it spans, the potentials it reveals, and the detail it provides. This book is an indispensable volume for scientists, lecturers, and decision makers interested in thermal infrared technology, methods, and applications.

Land Use and Land Cover Mapping in Europe

Land Use and Land Cover Mapping in Europe PDF Author: Ioannis Manakos
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 9400779690
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 436

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Book Description
Land use and land cover (LULC) as well as its changes (LUCC) are an interplay between bio-geophysical characteristics of the landscape and climate as well as the complex human interaction including its different patterns of utilization superimposed on the natural vegetation. LULC is a core information layer for a variety of scientific and administrative tasks(e.g. hydrological modelling, climate models, land use planning).In particular in the context of climate change with its impacts on socio-economic, socio-ecologic systems as well as ecosystem services precise information on LULC and LUCC are mandatory baseline datasets required over large areas. Remote sensing can provide such information on different levels of detail and in a homogeneous and reliable way. Hence, LULC mapping can be regarded as a prototype for integrated approaches based on spaceborne and airborne remote sensing techniques combined with field observations. The book provides for the first time a comprehensive view of various LULC activities focusing on European initiatives, such as the LUCAS surveys, the CORINE land covers, the ESA/EU GMES program and its resulting Fast-Track- and Downstream Services, the EU JRC Global Land Cover, the ESA GlobCover project as well as the ESA initiative on Essential Climate Variables. All have and are producing highly appreciated land cover products. The book will cover the operational approaches, but also review current state-of-the-art scientific methodologies and recommendations for this field. It opens the view with best-practice examples that lead to a view that exceeds pure mapping, but to investigate into drivers and causes as well as future projections.

Hyperspectral Remote Sensing of Vegetation

Hyperspectral Remote Sensing of Vegetation PDF Author: Prasad S. Thenkabail
Publisher: CRC Press
ISBN: 1439845387
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 766

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Book Description
Hyperspectral narrow-band (or imaging spectroscopy) spectral data are fast emerging as practical solutions in modeling and mapping vegetation. Recent research has demonstrated the advances in and merit of hyperspectral data in a range of applications including quantifying agricultural crops, modeling forest canopy biochemical properties, detecting crop stress and disease, mapping leaf chlorophyll content as it influences crop production, identifying plants affected by contaminants such as arsenic, demonstrating sensitivity to plant nitrogen content, classifying vegetation species and type, characterizing wetlands, and mapping invasive species. The need for significant improvements in quantifying, modeling, and mapping plant chemical, physical, and water properties is more critical than ever before to reduce uncertainties in our understanding of the Earth and to better sustain it. There is also a need for a synthesis of the vast knowledge spread throughout the literature from more than 40 years of research. Hyperspectral Remote Sensing of Vegetation integrates this knowledge, guiding readers to harness the capabilities of the most recent advances in applying hyperspectral remote sensing technology to the study of terrestrial vegetation. Taking a practical approach to a complex subject, the book demonstrates the experience, utility, methods and models used in studying vegetation using hyperspectral data. Written by leading experts, including pioneers in the field, each chapter presents specific applications, reviews existing state-of-the-art knowledge, highlights the advances made, and provides guidance for the appropriate use of hyperspectral data in the study of vegetation as well as its numerous applications, such as crop yield modeling, crop and vegetation biophysical and biochemical property characterization, and crop moisture assessment. This comprehensive book brings together the best global expertise on hyperspectral remote sensing of agriculture, crop water use, plant species detection, vegetation classification, biophysical and biochemical modeling, crop productivity and water productivity mapping, and modeling. It provides the pertinent facts, synthesizing findings so that readers can get the correct picture on issues such as the best wavebands for their practical applications, methods of analysis using whole spectra, hyperspectral vegetation indices targeted to study specific biophysical and biochemical quantities, and methods for detecting parameters such as crop moisture variability, chlorophyll content, and stress levels. A collective "knowledge bank," it guides professionals to adopt the best practices for their own work.