The sensitivity of the earth's radiation budget to changes in cloudiness

Cloudiness modulates the radiation budget at the top of the Earth-atmosphere system. For radiation balance studies, for climate diagnostic studies, and for climate modeling studies, it is important to know the sensitivity of both the outgoing longwave radiation and the net (absorbed solar minus outgoing longwave) radiation of the system to changes in cloudiness on a global basis. Based on a 45 month series of NOAA satellite scanning radiometer observations, estimates of the global distribution of these sensitivity parameters are obtained.     

The interannual variability of the earth's radiation budget components as observed from space

Based on the 1974–78 NOAA data, characteristic features of the variability of the Earth's radiation budget and its components over the area of the Northern Atlantic have been analyzed. Calculations of the mean square deviation for the ERB and its components have let to the conclusions that anomalous regions of maximum variability may be considered as energy-active zones.     

Space telescope observations of the earth's upper atmosphere by stellar occultations

Stellar occultations provide a useful means of measuring the trace gas composition of the Earth's mesosphere with a sensitivity of order one part per billion. The operational details will differ from those of other astronomical observations by ST, because of the difficulties in guiding near the Earth's limb. Two specific trace gases of interest to atmospheric studies, C$\text{l}$ and C$\text{l}$O, are discussed in this paper.     

Image restoration of the asymmetric point spread function of a high-resolution remote sensing satellite with time-delayed integration

The calibration and validation team of the Korea Aerospace Research Institute has calibrated and validated the image data of the KOMPSAT-2 since the launch of KOMPSAT-2 on July 28, 2006. The asymmetric phenomenon of the point spread function of the KOMPSAT-2 image data is evident in both the along and the across direction, most likely because KOMPSAT-2 has a 1 m ground sample distance high-resolution camera with time-delayed integration. Furthermore, because KOMPSAT-2 is in space, the KOMPSAT-2 image data has been corrected with good results by means of modulation transfer function compensation.     

Plasma convection model and generation of longitudinal currents in the earth's magnetosphere

The aim of this paper is to investigate processes in the magnetosphere and in particular the problems of the interaction of the solar wind with the Earth's magnetic field to produce large-scale convection, electric fields and longitudinal currents in the magnetosphere. The investigation is carried out in the frame of magnetic hydrodynamics. The reason for such an approach can be found in /1/. When calculating the transfer coefficients, the Böhm approximation is used, i.e. it is considered that the plasma in the near-equatorial part of the magnetosphere (quasiplanar geometry is used in the problem for simplification) is sufficiently turbulent that the condition ωτ ≈ 1 is valid (ω is the Larmor frequency of electrons, τ is effective time between two Quasi-collisions). The main subjects of investigation in this paper are the input near the equatorial boundary layer and the plasma layer of the magnetosphere tail.     

Pluto's atmospheric bulk near perihelion

The detection of CH₄ frost on Pluto's surface implies a significant atmosphere for Pluto. Although Pluto's mass is small, about 7% of Triton's mass, the rapid escape (“blowoff”) of gaseous CH₄ can be prevented by the presence of a heavy gas mixed with the CH₄. The resulting slow escape (“Jeans escape”) of CH₄ can be accomodated by sublimation of the surface CH₄ frost so that an atmosphere exists in the steady state. A heavier gas must exist, otherwise the CH₄ frost would have sublimated away long ago because of solar heat and rapid blowoff of gaseous CH₄. Pluto is currently near perihelion where the CH₄ component of the atmosphere may be 500 times denser than at apehelion. Significant seasonal changes in the atmospheric bulk are therefore possible. Currently, the CH₄ column abundance on Pluto's sunlit hemisphere is on the order of 1 m-Amagat. The abundance of the heavier gas should be at least an order of magnitude greater but is uncertain.     

Techniques for the selection of spectral intervals for multispectral survey of the earth's resources from space

A solution has been proposed for the problem of optimal selection of spectral intervals for multispectral survey of the Earth's resources from space. The problem of planning multipurpose experiments on remote sensing of environment and natural resources has been considered.     

Mapping the earth's magnetic and gravity fields from space: Current status and future prospects

Orbital potential field measurements are sensitive to regional variations in earth density and magnetization that occur over scales of a few hundred kilometers or greater. Global field models currently available are able to distinguish gravity variations of ±5 milligal over distances of ～1,000 km and magnetic variations of ±6 gamma over distances of ～300 km at the earth's surface. Regional variations in field strength have been detected in orbital measurements that are not apparent in higher resolution, low altitude surveys. NASA is presently studying a spacecraft mission known as GRAVSAT/MAGSAT, which would be the first satellite mission to perform a simultaneous survey of the earth's gravity and magnetic fields at low orbital altitudes. GRAVSAT/MAGSAT has been proposed for launch during the latter nineteen-eighties, and it would measure gravity field strength to an accuracy of 1 milligal and magnetic field strength to an accuracy of 2 gamma (scalar)/5 gamma (vector components) over a distance of roughly 100 km. Even greater improvements in the accuracy and spatial resolution of orbital surveys are anticipated during the nineteen-nineties with the development of potential field gradiometers and a tethered satellite system that can be deployed from the Space Shuttle to altitudes of 120 km above the earth's surface.     

Different atmospheric effects in remote sensing of uniform and nonuniform surfaces

The atmospheric effect on the radiance of sunlight scattered from the Earth-atmosphere system is greatly dependent on the surface reflectance pattern, the contrast between adjacent fields, and the optical properties of the atmosphere. In addition, the atmospheric effect is described by the range and magnitude of the adjacency effects, the atmospheric modulation transfer function, and the apparent spatial resolution of remotely sensed imagery. This paper discusses the atmospheric effect on classification of surface features and shows that surface nonuniformity can be used for developing procedures to remove the atmospheric effect from the satellite imagery.     

Selection of spectral bands for Indian remote sensing satellite (IRS)

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) plans to launch a Remote Sensing Satellite around 1985 for acquiring resources information in the visible and near infrared region. For this a number of projects under Joint Experiments Program (JEP) were taken up between ISRO and various departments under Government of India to define the mission parameters including the spectral bands. This paper presents the results obtained in the selection of spectral bands and their widths for IRS program.     

Interaction of Titan's atmosphere with Saturn's magnetosphere

The Voyager 1 measurements made during the Titan flyby reveal that Saturn's rotating magnetospheric plasma interacts directly with Titan's neutral atmosphere and ionosphere. This results from the lack of an intrinsic magnetic field at Titan. The interaction induces a magnetosphere which deflects the flowing plasma around Titan and forms a plasma wake downstream. Within the tail of the induced magnetosphere, ions of ionospheric origin flow away from Titan. Just outside Titan's magnetosphere, a substantial ion-exosphere forms from an extensive hydrogen-nitrogen exosphere. The exospheric ions are picked up and carried downstream into the wake by the plasma flowing around Titan. Mass loading produced by the addition of exospheric ions slows the wake plasma down considerably in the vicinity of the magnetopause.     

The meteorology of Jupiter's atmosphere

Observations of the atmosphere of Jupiter by the imaging and infrared instruments on the Voyager spacecraft have been analysed to provide new insight into the meteorology of Jupiter. Like the Earth, the atmosphere of Jupiter appears to behave in a quasi-geostrophic manner. For a period prior to the Voyager 1 encounter, the analysis on imaging data indicated that the eddy momentum transfer into the mean zonal flow was a major driving mechanism for the motions. The jet structures are a barotropic phenomena, which the large scale belts and zones depend on for the baroclinicity of the motions and form a family of features. The initial analysis shows that the meteorologies of the Earth and Jupiter have more in common than was previously thought.     

The variability of the sun's ultraviolet radiation

The intensity of continua and emission lines which form the solar UV spectrum below 2100 Å is variable. Continua and emission lines originating from different layers in the solar atmosphere show a different degree of variability. Coronal emission lines at short wavelengths are much more variable than continua at longer wavelengths which originate in lower layers of the solar atmosphere. Typical time-scales of solar UV variability are minutes (flare induced), days (birth of active regions), 27 days (solar rotation), 11 years (solar cycle) and perhaps centuries, caused by long-term changes of the solar activity. UV intensity variations have been determined by either absolute irradiance measurements or by contrast measurements of plages vs. the quiet sun. Plages are the main contributor to the solar UV variability. Typical values for the solar UV variability over a solar cycle are: <1% at wavelengths longer than 2100 Å, 8% at 2080 Å (continuum), 20% at 1900 Å (continuum), 70% at H Lyα, 200% in certain emission lines 1200 < λ < 1800 Å and more than a factor of 4 in coronal lines λ < 1000 Å. Plage models predict the variable component of the solar UV radiation within ±50%. Absolute fluxes are known within ±30%. Several efforts are underway to monitor the solar UV irradiance with a precision better than a few percent over a solar activity cycle.     

Real-time global MHD simulation of the solar wind interaction with the earth’s magnetosphere

We have developed a real-time global MHD (magnetohydrodynamics) simulation of the solar wind interaction with the earth’s magnetosphere. By adopting the real-time solar wind parameters and interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) observed routinely by the ACE (Advanced Composition Explorer) spacecraft, responses of the magnetosphere are calculated with MHD code. The simulation is carried out routinely on the super computer system at National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT), Japan. The visualized images of the magnetic field lines around the earth, pressure distribution on the meridian plane, and the conductivity of the polar ionosphere, can be referred to on the web site (http://www2.nict.go.jp/y/y223/simulation/realtime/).The results show that various magnetospheric activities are almost reproduced qualitatively. They also give us information how geomagnetic disturbances develop in the magnetosphere in relation with the ionosphere. From the viewpoint of space weather, the real-time simulation helps us to understand the whole image in the current condition of the magnetosphere. To evaluate the simulation results, we compare the AE indices derived from the simulation and observations. The simulation and observation agree well for quiet days and isolated substorm cases in general.     

Nonlinear mixture model of mixed pixels in remote sensing satellite images based on Monte Carlo simulation

A nonlinear mixture model for the interpretation of mixed pixels in remote sensing satellite images is proposed. The proposed model is a Monte Carlo ray-tracing model that takes into account interactions among the ground cover materials (multiple reflections among the materials on the surface). The proposed model also takes into account topographic features (slope) of the ground surface. As an example, Top of the Atmosphere (TOA) radiance of mixed pixels of forested areas which are composed of grasses and trees are simulated with the proposed model and compared to actual remote sensing satellite data of ASTER/VNIR over these forested areas. It was found that the influence due to multiple scattering interactions between trees depends on the tree distance and ranges from 8% to 10%. It is also found that the proposed model is useful to interpret mixed pixels. Namely, it is suggested that actual reflectance of the trees is higher than apparent reflectance that is calculated with the satellite data. Also it is suggested that it is possible to estimate forest parameters such as tree distance, tree shape.     

Kinematics of Saturn's spokes

Voyager 2 images of Saturn's rings have been analyzed for spoke activity. More than 80 and 40 different spokes have been measured at the morning and at the evening ansa, respectively. Higher rate of spoke formation has been found at 145° ± 15° SLS and at 305° ± 15° SLS which persisted for at least 3 Saturn revolutions. Higher spoke activity (formation and growth in width) by more than a factor 3 has been observed over the nightside hemisphere of Saturn than over the dayside hemisphere. The age distribution (i.e. time from radial formation until observation, assuming Keplerian shear) of the leading (old) edges of spokes has its maximum at ～ 9,000 s and ～ 6,000 s for spokes observed at the morning ansa and at the evening ansa, respectively. The highest spoke age observed is ～ 20,000 s. The age distribution of the trailing (young) edges of spokes peaks at < 2,000 s at both ansae but has its mean at ～ 4,500 s and ～ 3,500 s, respectively. On the average the observed spokes grew in width for ～ 4,500 s at the morning ansa and for ～ 2,500 s at the evening ansa. The maximum time of growth in width was ～ 12,000 s.     

Formation of Saturn's spokes

The scattering properties of the spokes in Saturn's rings suggest that they consist of micron-sized dust particles. We suggest that these grains are elevated above the ring plane by electrostatic charging. We show that electrostatic levitation requires a sufficiently large plasma density near the rings. If the plasma density near the rings exceeds a few 10² cm^?3 levitation may occur at significant rates in the strong electric fields which exist in the wall-sheaths at the ring. Once the dust particles are elevated they drift relative to the plasma (except at synchronous orbit). This relative motion constitutes a current which causes a polarization electric field if the plasma is azimuthally inhomogeneous. The dense plasma will drift radially in response to this electric field and cause levitation of more dust particles as it moves along. It leaves a radially aligned trail of elevated dust particles—the spokes. One way of producing dense plasma is by meteor impact on the rings. We discuss the mechanisms of ring charging, electrostatic levitation and the currents in the plasma-dust mixture. We show that for reasonable conditions spokes of more than 10,000 km radial length can be formed in less than five minutes. We also show that under the same conditions the electrostatic levitation model predicts a dust grain population which peaks at a size of 0.6 microns and can reach optical depths of 0.1.     

Formation of Jupiter's rings

An excellent review of the present understanding of the structure and formation of Jupiter's rings has recently been published by Burns et al. /1/. Therefore I will only summarize the basic ideas and open questions concerning the physical phenomena governing Jupiter's rings.     

Spatial and temporal monitoring of drought conditions using the satellite rainfall estimates and remote sensing optical and thermal measurements

Drought is an important natural disaster that causes devastating impacts on the ecosystem, livestock, environment, and society. So far, various remote-sensing methods have been developed to estimate drought conditions, each of which has advantages and restrictions. This study aims to monitor the real-time drought indices at the field scales via the integration of various earth observations. Our proposed method consists of two steps. In the first step, the relationships between long-term standardized precipitation indices (SPI) derived from PERSIANN-CDR rainfall data and two drought-dependent parameters derived from MODIS products, including normalized NDVI and soil-air temperature gradient, are obtained at the spatial resolution of PERSIANN-CDR grid (approximately 25 km). As the next step, the corresponding relationships are applied to estimate the drought index maps at the spatial resolution of MODIS products (1 km). Numerous analyses are carried out to evaluate the proposed method. The results revealed that, from various drought indices, including SPIs of different timescales (1, 3, 6, and 12-months), SPI-3 and SPI-6 are more appropriate to the proposed method in terms of correlation with temperature and vegetation parameters. The findings also demonstrate the competency of the proposed method in estimating SPI indices with average RMSE 0.67 and the average correlation coefficient of 0.74.     

The use of remote sensing in global biosystem studies

Remote sensing techniques, if properly employed, offer definite advantages to studies of the Earth's environment and resources on a global scale. A remote sensing strategy is presented for selective sampling of the properties and changes in the atmosphere, the oceans and on land in support of global biosystems research as proposed by NASA, including mineral cycling, ocean and terrestrial productivity, perturbation effects and biospheric responses. It is shown that remote sensors on satellites and aircraft should be used to update existing data bases and to monitor areas of high productivity or rapid change, rather than attempting to produce a costly inventory of all biosphere resources and processes.