Remote Sensing of
Oceans & Atmospheres
Ozone Hole? Global Warming? El Nino?
Separate the Issues and Use the Data!
presentation by:
Corinne Egner
W. Windsor-Plainsboro H.S.
Plainsboro, NJ 08536
conskayakr@aol.com
funded by see at NASA/Goddard
presented in cooperation with:
http://see.gsfc.nasa.gov/edu/SEES/
a valuable source of information, images and
data available on the web
Introduction
 What is Remote Sensing?
 Problems and Promise of remote sensing
in the classroom
 The Electromagnetic Spectrum
 Atmospheric Processes(Ozone)
 Ocean Processes
What is Remote Sensing?
 Remote Sensing Is:
– Inferring something about the nature and
properties of an object, surface, area, or
phenomenon
– through the analysis of data/information
– collected by a sensor
– that is not in physical contact with the
object, surface, area, or phenomenon
under investigation.
Why?? -- The Reasons to Teach RS
 To assure the next generation has the tools
to use current technology to study Earth’s
environment.
 Scientific literacy of the general public.
The PROMISE of Using
Satellite Data in the Classroom
 Spans Scientific Disciplines
– Biology, Chemistry, Geology, Physics




Well-Suited for Inquiry-Based Learning
Global or Regional Perspectives
Long Historical Record (since late 1970’s)
Recent and Real-Time Data
The REALITY of Using
Satellite Data in the Classroom





Technical Complexity of Data
Large Data Volumes
Computer Hardware/Software Required
Theoretical Background Needed
Lack of Curriculum
The Final Analysis?
•Definitely do it! . . . . . but
•Go slowly!
•Try not to undertake too much at once!
•Collaborate and ask for help!
•Realize it’s a longterm learning process!
The Electromagnetic Spectrum
thanks to Microworld’s web site:
www.lbl.gov/MicroWorlds/ALSTool/EMSpec/EMSpec2.html
General Sources of Radiation
A- reflected radiation from surface
B- incident radiation (skylight)
C- radiance from the atmosphere
C
A
B
Atmospheric Windows
Development of the Ozone Hole
What is a Dobson unit?
Ozone Production
Ozone Production & Destruction
Ozone Hole in the 70’s and 90’s
Mathematical Analysis
Depletion of ozone in NH & SH
Different instruments to measure ozone
Ozone destruction is worse in SH
Topics in
Atmospheric/Oceanic Module
•Ocean Circulation
–Sea Surface Temperature
–Sea Surface Topography and Sea Height Variability
•Ocean Productivity
–Phytoplankton Pigment Concentration
•Sea Ice Processes
–Sea Ice Concentration
Sea Surface Temperature
 Measurements of Terrestrial Thermal Radiation
U.S. East Coast
May 21, 1999
The need for compositing images
Sea Surface Temperature
 Measurements of Terrestrial Thermal Radiation
U.S. East Coast
May 19-21, 1999
Sea Surface Temperature
 Measurements of Terrestrial Thermal Radiation
U.S. East Coast
Coriolis effect and Ekman transport
Generalized ocean currents
Ekman spiral
Sea Surface Temperature
 Measurements of Terrestrial Thermal Radiation
U.S. West Coast
Upwelling due to offshore
transport
Polar Sea Ice Concentration
 Measurements of Terrestrial Microwave Radiation
March 1996
September 1996
Polar Sea Ice Concentration
 Measurements of Terrestrial Microwave Radiation
September 1996
March 1996
Sources of Radiation Arriving at
Satellite from the Ocean Surface
 Visible - Sunlight Reflected at the Surface
 Visible - Sunlight Scattered Upward by
Subsurface Plants & Particles
 Infrared - Emitted (Terrestrial) Thermal Energy
 Microwave
– “Passive” Sensors Measure Emitted
(Terrestrial) Microwave Energy
– “Active” Sensors Illuminate Terrain with Their
Own Signal, then Measure Returned Energy
Phytoplankton Concentration
 Measurements of Sunlight Scattered by Subsurface Plants
Global Biosphere Spring (March-May) 1998
Phytoplankton Concentration
 Measurements of Sunlight Scattered by Subsurface Plants
Global Biosphere Summer (June-August) 1998
Surface Roughness
 Measurements of Transmitted/Reflected Microwave Radiation
“Sea Empress” Oil Spill, Wales, United Kingdom,
February 22, 1996
Surface Roughness
 Measurements of Transmitted/Reflected Microwave Radiation
Typhoon Violet, September 20, 1996
Surface Roughness
 Measurements of Transmitted/Reflected Microwave Radiation
Wind Speed
&
Wave Height
El Nino
Sea Surface Temperature Anomaly December 8, 1997
El Nino
TOPEX/Poseidon
Sea Surface
Height Anomaly
December 10,
1997
La Nina
Sea Surface Temperature Anomaly February 27, 1999
La Nina
TOPEX/Poseidon
Sea Surface
Height Anomaly
February 27,
1999
see Image began with:
see Image then added:
 Ability to import some satellite data formats
 Macros:
– Multipaste/replace of geographic overlays
– To calculate & find geog coordinates
– To view/analyze data in projections
• (Goode, Polar, Hammer)
– Facilitates annotation and key
– Perform temporal Z-plot analysis etc.
– Compute statistics ignoring “no-data” pixels
Ability to import satellite data
AVHRR and NDVI
TOMS Stratospheric Ozone
ISLSCP and UV data also, but no materials exist
Geographic overlays
NDVI measurement of
“greenness” from the
NOAA series satellite
from October of 1988.
Monthly averaged
TOMS Ozone data
from October, 1992
MultiPaste/Replace
•Use a macro to apply an overlay to a stack.
•No paste control window is needed.
•Often relevant in geographic data with time series.
Calculate X/Y image coordinates.
Interactively display the lat/long in the info window.
(Only works for global images.)
Ability to project global images
TOMS ozone images
without overlays
Oct. 3, 1979
Goode
South Polar Orthographic
Hammer-Aitoff over -100 long
Facilitates making annotation & key
w/ MakeMap macro
Perform temporal Z-plot analysis
with a stack
,
QuickTime™ and a
Graphics decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
to see NDVI values indicating how vegetation changes
Arizona
NDVI value
NDVI value
Applachians
Month of 1987
Month of 1987
Where to Get the Images
 Phytoplankton Concentration
–
SeaWIFS Homepage:
http://seawifs.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEAWIFS.html
–
Ocean Color Homepage:
http://daac.gsfc.nasa.gov/
 Sea Surface Temperature
– JHU AVHRR Homepage:
http://fermi.jhu.apl.edu/avhrr
– SeaSpace Homepage:
http://www.seaspace.com
Where to Get the Images
 Imaging Radar
– Shuttle Imaging Radar Homepage:
http://southport.jpl.nasa.gov/
– RADARSAT Images:
http://www.ccrs.nrcan.gc.ca/
http://radarsat.space.gc.ca/welcome.html
 Scatterometer Winds
– NASA JPL Winds Homepage
http://winds.jpl.nasa.gov/index.html
Where to Get the Images
 Sea Surface Topography
– TOPEX/Poseidon Homepage:
http://topex-www.jpl.nasa.gov/
 El Nino
– Topex/Poseidon El Nino Homepage
http://topexwww.jpl.nasa.gov/elnino/elnino.html
– SST Anomaly Chart
http://psbsgi1.nesdis.noaa.gov:8080/PSB/EP
S/SST/climo.html
Studying the Earth’s Environment
from Space
 NASA/CGA/ODU Collaborative Project
 Classroom Materials
 Lab Materials
– Display Software
– Satellite Data & Exercises
 Topic List:
–
–
–
–
Ozone (NASA)
Land Vegetation (NASA)
Ocean Processes (CGA/ODU)
Sea Ice Concentration (CGA/ODU)
Studying the Earth’s Environment
from Space
 Materials available at:
http://see.gsfc.nasa.gov/edu/SEES/
Topics/Units Include:
Land Vegetation (AVHRR data)
Stratospheric Ozone (TOMS data)
Polar Processes
Sea Surface Temperatures