Remote Sensing of Atmosphere, Land and Ocean Properties from Terra

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Remote Sensing of Atmosphere, Land and Ocean
Properties from Terra
Michael D. King NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

• Remote sensing of atmosphere, land and ocean
  properties
• Examples from Earth observations
• Orbit, sensors, and sampling characteristics

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EOS Goals Mission Objectives

• Goals
• Develop an understanding of the total Earth
  system, and the effects of natural and
  human-induced changes on the global environment
• Expand scientific knowledge of the Earth system
  using NASAs unique capabilities from the vantage
  points of space, aircraft, and in situ platforms
• Disseminate information about the Earth system
• Support national and international environmental
  policy recommendations
• Mission Objectives
• Create an integrated scientific observing system
  that will enable multidisciplinary study of Earth
  system science
• Develop a comprehensive data and information
  system, including a data retrieval and processing
  system
• Acquire and assemble a global database
  emphasizing remote sensing measurements from
  space over a decade or more
• Improve predictive models of the Earth system

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Terra Objectives

• Provide the first, consistent global snapshot
  of numerous important Earth surface and
  atmospheric characteristics
• Improve the ability to detect the human impacts
  on climate by identifying indicators, or
  fingerprints, of human activity that can be
  used to distinguish them from natural variability
• Provide measurements of the effects of clouds,
  aerosols, and greenhouse gases on the Earths
  total energy balance
• Provide estimates of global terrestrial and
  marine productivity that will enable more
  accurate calculations of global carbon storage,
  exchange with the atmosphere, and year-to-year
  variability
• Provide observations that will improve
  predictions of climate and of weather at seasonal
  and interannual time scales
• Contribute to improved methods of disaster
  prediction, characterization, and risk reduction
  from wild fires, volcanoes, floods, and droughts

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Terras Global Perspective

• MODIS
• 1-2 day global coverage in 36 wavelengths from
  250 m to 1 km resolution
• MISR
• Stereo images at 9 look angles
• ASTER
• Hi-resolution, multi-spectral images from 15 m to
  90 m resolution, plus stereo
• MOPITT
• Global measures of CH4 CO
• CERES
• Measures Earths shortwave, longwave, and net
  radiant energy budget

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Terra
Launched December 18, 1999
MODIS
MOPITT
ASTER
MISR
CERES
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Terra Launch Animation
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Terra Deployment of Solar Panel
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Terra Orbit Ground Track
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MODerate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer
(MODIS)

• NASA, Terra Aqua
• launches 1999, 2002
• 705 km polar orbits, descending (1030 a.m.)
  ascending (130 p.m.)
• Sensor Characteristics
• 36 spectral bands ranging from 0.41 to 14.385 µm
• cross-track scan mirror with 2330 km swath width
• Spatial resolutions
• 250 m (bands 1 - 2)
• 500 m (bands 3 - 7)
• 1000 m (bands 8 - 36)
• 2 reflectance calibration accuracy
• onboard solar diffuser solar diffuser stability
  monitor

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MODIS Scan Swath
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Global Level-1B Composite Image
May 28, 2001
R 0.65 µm G 0.56 µm B 0.47 µm
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Cloud Optical Thickness(M. D. King, S. Platnick,
M. Gray, E. Moody, et al. NASA GSFC, UMBC)
Level-3 Monthly August 2001
tc
70
10
1
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Cloud Top Pressure(W. P. Menzel, R. Frey, K.
Strabala, L. Gumley, et al. NOAA NESDIS, U.
Wisconsin/CIMSS)
Level-3 Monthly April 2001
pc (hPa)
1000
900
800
700
600
500
400
300
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Precipitable Water over Land Sunglint(B. C.
Gao, et al. Naval Research Laboratory)
Level-3 Monthly August 2001
q (cm)
7.5
5.0
2.5
0.0
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Aerosol Optical Thickness(Y. J. Kaufman, D.
Tanré, D. A. Chu, L. A. Remer et al. NASA GSFC,
University of Lille)
Level-3 Monthly September 2000
Fine mode
ta (0.55 µm)
0.8
0.7
0.6
0.5
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
0.0
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Aerosol Optical Thickness(Y. J. Kaufman, D.
Tanré, D. A. Chu, L. A. Remer et al. NASA GSFC,
University of Lille)
Level-3 Monthly September 2000
Coarse mode
ta (0.55 µm)
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
0.0
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Global Aerosol Optical Properties
1.0
Fine Aerosol Fraction
0.0
0.0
0.25
0.5
Aerosol Optical Thickness
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MODIS Reveals Atmospheric Moisture Details As
Never Seen Before
MODIS Water Vapor (1 km)
GOES-8 Water Vapor (4 x 8 km)
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Four Panel Zoom of Cloud-Free Orographic Waves
revealed in Water Vapor Imagery
Longwave Infrared Window
Visible
MODIS Water Vapor (1 km)
Shortwave Infrared Window
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Every 100 Minutes MODIS Covers the Polar Regions
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Every 100 Minutes MODIS Covers the Polar Regions
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Winds from MODIS An Arctic Example
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MODIS Detects Subvisible Cirrus
Central America April 4, 2000
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Surface Reflectance of South AmericaMOD09
(atmospherically corrected radiance)

• South America

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Surface Reflectance of South AmericaMOD09
(atmospherically corrected radiance)

• Brazil

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MODIS Land Cover Classification
0 Water
6 Closed Shrublands
12 Croplands
1 Evergreen Needleleaf Forest
7 Open Shrublands
13 Urban and Built-Up
2 Evergreen Broadleaf Forest
8 Woody Savannas
14 Cropland/Natural Veg. Mosaic
3 Deciduous Needleleaf Forest
9 Savannas
15 Snow and Ice
4 Deciduous Broadleaf Forest
10 Grasslands
16 Barren or Sparsely Vegetated
5 Mixed Forests
11 Permanent Wetlands
17 Tundra
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Surface Albedo Surface albedo ecosystem
MOD43 (Strahler, Schaaf et al.) aggregation
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• Albedo Movies
• Loops through bands 0.65, 0.86,
• 1.24, 1.64, 2.1, and 3.7 µm
• Loops through seasonal equinox
• and solstice, progressing from
• Julian days 91, 173, 293, 356

• Ecosystem Color Scheme
• Pink Crops
• Green Trees
• Yellows Barren/Deserts
• Blues Savannas

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MODIS Snow Cover(D. K. Hall, V. V. Salomonson,
G. A. Riggs NASA GSFC)
October 16, 2001 April 23, 2002
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Nighttime Sea Surface Temperature(O. B. Brown,
P. J. Minnett, R. H. Evans University of Miami)
Level-3 Monthly May 2001
C
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
-2
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Chlorophyll-a(K. L. Carder, R. H. Evans U.
South Florida, U. Miami)
Level-3 Monthly May 2001
mg m-3
20
10
1.0
0.1
0.01
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MODIS Sea Surface Temperature off the East Coast
of the US
May 8, 2000
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Clouds and the Earths Radiant Energy System
(CERES)

• NASA, TRMM, Terra Aqua
• launches 1997, 1999, 2002
• 350 km orbit (35 inclination), 705 km polar
  orbits, descending (1030 a.m.) ascending (130
  p.m.)
• Sensor Characteristics
• 3 spectral bands
• Shortwave (0.3-5.0 µm)
• Window (8-12 µm)
• Total (0.3-gt200 µm)
• Spatial resolution
• 20 km
• 78 cross-track scan and 360 azimuth biaxial
  scan
• 0.5 calibration accuracy
• onboard blackbodies solar diffuser

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CERES Scan Swath
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CERES Scan Swath on Aqua
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CERES Measurements

• Study cloud radiative forcing and feedbacks
• Develop an observational baseline of clear-sky
  radiative fluxes
• Document radiant input to atmospheric and oceanic
  energetics models
• Validate general circulation models and
• Enhance extended-range numerical weather
  predictions

Shortwave Flux (W m-2)
0
105
210
Longwave Flux (W m-2)
100
210
320
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Shortwave and Longwave Radiation as Determined
from Data of the Terra CERESMarch 2000 May 2001

• Longwave (on left) Radiation emitted to space
  from the Earth system
• Shortwave (on right) Sunlight reflected back to
  space

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Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission Reflection
Radiometer (ASTER)

• NASA MITI, Terra
• 705 km polar orbit, descending (1030 a.m.)
• Sensor Characteristics
• 14 spectral bands ranging from 0.56 to 11.3 µm
• 3 tiltable subsystems for acquiring stereoscopic
  imagery over a swath width of 60 km
• Spatial resolutions
• 15 m (bands 1, 2, 3N, 3B)
• 30 m (bands 4 - 9)
• 90 m (bands 10 - 14)
• 4 reflectance calibration accuracy (VNIR SWIR)
• 2 K brightness temperature accuracy (240-370 K)

VNIR (1,2,3N)
TIR
VNIR (3B)
SWIR
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ASTER Scan Swath
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ASTER Spectral Bands
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ASTER Measurements
Color IR
Shortwave IR

• Spectral reflectances of the Earths surface at
  15-30 m
• Surface temperature and emissivities at 90 m
• Digital elevation maps from stereo images
• Surface composition and vegetation mapscloud,
  sea ice, and polar ice products
• Observation of natural hazards (volcanoes, etc.)

Thermal IR
SST
March 3, 2000
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ASTER - Ji Paraná, Brazil
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ASTER - Mount St. Helens
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Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR)

• NASA, EOS Terra
• launched in 1999
• polar, descending orbits of 705 km, 1030 a.m.
  crossing
• Sensor Characteristics
• uses nine CCD-based push-broom cameras viewing
  nadir and fore aft to 70.5
• swath width of 400 km
• four spectral bands for each camera (36
  channels), at 443, 555, 670, 865 nm
• resolutions of 275 m, 550 m, or 1.1 km
• Advantages
• high spectral stability
• 9 viewing angles helps determine aerosol by µ
  dependence (fixed t)

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MISR Scan
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Fire Animation from MISR
multi-angle animation
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Saharan Dust Storm near Canary Islands
February 29, 2000
70 Forward
Nadir
70 Aftward
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Parallax Effect in MISR Images
March 6, 2000

• MISR is being used to study clouds and how they
  interact with sunlight
• Cycling through the nine views of this scene of
  clouds over Florida, notice the displacement of
  the clouds
• This is due to a geometric effect called
  parallax, and not true motion

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Extratropical Cyclone in the Southern
OceanAugust 20, 2001
Cloud-tracked winds
cloud-top heights
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MISR Imagery Aerosol Optical ThicknessAngola
and Namibia
?a (0.558 µm)
Nadir
70 backward
Multiangle

• Nadir
• True color RGB (672, 558, 446 nm)
• 70 backward-viewing camera
• True color RGB
• Multiangle (672 nm)
• Red nadir camera
• Green 70 forward
• Blue 70 backward

Diner et al. (2001)
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Measurement of Pollution in the Troposphere
(MOPITT)

• NASA, EOS Terra
• launched in 1999
• polar, descending orbits of 705 km, 1030 a.m.
  crossing
• Sensor Characteristics
• Spectral bands2.223-2.294 µm CH42.323-2.345
  µm CO4.562-4.673 µm CO
• Spatial resolution22 km at nadir
• CO profiles22 km x 3 km
• Swath 640 km

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MOPITT Scan Swath
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MOPITT Measurements
Carbon Monoxide, March 2000

• Measure and model tropospheric carbon monoxide
  and methane concentrations
• Obtain carbon monoxide profiles with 22 km x 3 km
  resolution
• Measure the methane column in the troposphere
• Generate global maps of carbon monoxide and
  methane distribution, and provide increased
  knowledge of tropospheric chemistry

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MOPITT CO PerspectiveThe First Year of Terra Data
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Terras New Features

• Array of five Earth Science Instruments in space
  - hardware, software and maneuvers to convert the
  remote sensing signal into science
• ASTER Thermal channels for geology and
  environment, stereo looks, 15-90 m resolutions
• CERES Cloud radiative forcing, better angular
  sampling
• MISR Multiangle views of clouds and land, BRDF,
  275-1100 m resolutions
• MODIS
• 250 m daily coverage for clouds and vegetation
  change
• 7 solar channels for land and aerosol
• 1.37 µm Cirrus clouds
• 0.94 µm water vapor
• fire channels and air temperature profiles at 1
  km
• MOPITT Global CO and CH4

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Web SitesCheck them out
Mission
terra.nasa.gov
Education
earthobservatory.nasa.gov
Images
visibleearth.nasa.gov
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MODIS Granule Flyby of the Himalayas(MOD09
Atmospherically Corrected Radiance)