Comparison of OClO nadir measurements from SCIAMACHY and GOME

The scanning imaging absorption spectrometer for atmospheric chartography was launched successfully onboard ENVISAT on March 1, 2002. It observes the solar radiation transmitted and backscattered from the atmosphere and reflected from the ground in nadir, limb and occultation viewing modes. Chlorine dioxide (OClO), an important indicator for stratospheric chlorine activation, can be measured in the UV spectral range by differential optical absorption spectroscopy (DOAS).

First results of the DOAS retrieval of OClO slant column densities from the SCIAMACHY nadir measurements are presented and compared to measurements of the global ozone monitoring experiment (GOME), which has successfully measured OClO since 1995. While SCIAMACHY operates in the same orbit, it measures ≈30 min earlier than GOME and has an increased spatial resolution (30 × 60 km² compared to 40 × 320 km² for GOME).     

On uncertainties in carbon flux modelling and remotely sensed data assimilation: The Brasschaat pixel case

Uncertainty on carbon fluxes is determined by the uncertainties of ecosystem model structure, data and model parameter uncertainties and the temporal and spatial inaccuracy of the input data retrieval. The objective of this paper is to understand the error propagation and uncertainty of evaporative fraction (EF), soil moisture content (SMC) and water limited net ecosystem productivity (NEP). In this respect, C-Fix and spaceborne remote sensing are used for the ‘Brasschaat’ pixel. A simple model based on error theory and a Monte-Carlo approach are used. Different error scenarios are implemented to assess input uncertainty on EF, SMC and NEP as estimated with C-Fix.     

Latent heat flux and air temperature anomalies along an active fault zone associated with recent Iran earthquakes

Pre-earthquake physical and chemical interactions in the earth’s ground may cause anomalies in latent heat flux, air and surface temperature. Earthquakes occur when the energy accumulated in rocks releases. Sometimes, the movements of the ground cause ruptures in the earth’s surface and sometimes the two sides of an existing fault shift towards each other. In a structurally complex and inhomogeneous collision region such as the Iranian Plateau, seismicity is not the result of activity of a single fault but is due to energy discharge in fault zones hundreds of kilometers wide.     

Simultaneous determination of aerosol- and surface characteristics from top-of-atmosphere reflectance using MERIS on board of ENVISAT

The determination of aerosol optical thickness (AOT) from nadir scanning multi-spectral radiometers, like SeaWiFS, MERIS or MODIS, requires the separation of spectral atmospheric and surface properties. Since SeaWiFS and MERIS do not provide information at 2.1 μm, like MODIS, the estimation of the surface reflectance cannot be made by the cross correlation approach described by Kaufman et al., 1997. The BAER approach (Bremen AErosol Retrieval), von Hoyningen-Huene et al., 2003, uses a linear mixing model of spectra for ‘green vegetation’ and ‘bare soil’, tuned by the NDVI, determining an apparent surface to enable this separation of aerosol and surface properties from VIS and NIR channels. Thus AOT can be derived over a wide range of land surfaces for wavelengths <0.67 μm. Using MERIS L1 data over Europe, the AOT retrieved is comparable with ground-based observations, provided by AERONET. Regional variation of AOT can be observed, showing the atmospheric variability for clear sky conditions by: large scale variation of aerosol turbidity, regional pollution, urban regions, effects of contrails and cases of aerosol-cloud interaction. Simultaneously with the spectral AOT also spectral surface reflectance is obtained, where all atmospheric influences have been considered (molecules, aerosols and absorbing gases (O₃)) for channels with wavelengths <0.67 μm. The AOT is extrapolated by Angström power law to NIR channels and the atmospheric correction for land surface properties is performed, enabling the further investigation of land use and spectral land properties.     

Monitoring the South Atlantic Anomaly using ATSR instrument series

The South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA) has been monitored for 19 years using the Along Track Scanning Radiometer (ATSR) series of instruments onboard the ERS-1, ERS-2 and ENVISAT ESA satellites. The time evolution of the night-time particle induced noise in the short wavelength infrared (SWIR, 1.6 μm) and visible (VIS, 0.55 μm) channels of the ATSR instrument series have been analysed. The monthly location and extension of the SAA are inferred by fitting a two-dimensional, elliptical Gaussian function to the coordinates of the night-time hot spots detected over the SAA region. The location of the centre of the SAA is found to drift westwards with an average drift rate of about 0.24 deg/year and northward with an average drift rate of about 0.12 deg/year. Irregularities are found where the drift speed is inverted and the SAA moves eastward and southward. Results indicate that, as expected, the retrieved values of SAA’s strength and extension are anti-correlated with the solar activity expressed by the solar flux at 10.7 cm (F10.7). Finally, the peak-to-peak amplitude of the seasonal variation of the SAA strength, estimated from monthly VIS data, is found to be 30% of the average value with the annual to semiannual amplitude ratio of 1.38.     

Effects of Communication Methods on Communication Patterns and Performance in a Remote Spatial Orientation Task

Abstract

An experiment was conducted to examine the impact of communication methods (text-only, audio-only, and audio-plus-video) on communication patterns and effectiveness in a 2-person remote spatial orientation task. The task required a pair of participants to figure out the cardinal direction of a target object by communicating spatial information and perspectives. Results showed that overall effectiveness in the audio-only condition was better than the text-only and audio-plus-video conditions, and communication patterns were more predictive of errors than individual differences in spatial abilities. Discourse analysis showed that participants in the audio-plus-video condition performed less mental transformation of spatial information when communicating, which led to more interpretation errors by the listener. Participants in the text-only conditions performed less confirmation and made more errors by misreading their own display. Results suggested that speakers in the audio-plus-video condition minimized effort by communicating spatial information based on their own perspective but speakers in the audio-only and text-only conditions would more likely communicate transformed spatial information. Analysis of gestures in the audio-plus-video condition confirmed that iconic gestures tended to co-occur with spatial transformation. Iconic gesture rates were negatively correlated with transformation errors, indicating that iconic gestures more likely co-occurred with successful communication of spatial transformation. Results show that when visual interactive feedback is available, speakers tend to adopt egocentric spatial perspectives to minimize effort in mental transformation and rely on the feedback to ensure that the hearer correctly interprets the information. When visual interactive feedback is not available, speakers will put more effort in transforming spatial information to help the hearer to understand the information. The current result demonstrated that allowing two persons to see and communicate with each other during a remote spatial reasoning task can lead to more errors because of the use of a suboptimal communication strategy.     

地球静止轨道卫星撞击解体的数值模拟

分析了地球静止轨道（GE0）环内的物体现状,引入美国家航空航天局（NASA）的标准解体模型,给出了卫星撞击解体算法,编写了数值仿真软件,仿真研究了GEO卫星撞击解体形成碎片的特征及其轨道分布。结果表明：撞击会产生大量碎片,对空间环境造成长期的严重危害。研究结果对分析卫星撞击解体特性、保护空间环境有一定的参考价值。     

二次多项式拟合外方位元素卫星三线阵C CD影像平差

文章针对一景大小的卫星三线阵CCD影像,采用二次多项式拟合外方位元素模型,与国外的定向片法模型进行平差算法对比.对一景大小的模拟数据进行了试验,结果表明基于二次多项式拟合外方位元素模型的平差方法有效的提高了影像的平面精度与高程精度,与定向片法模型相比,该算法简单,结果同样满足1∶5万摄影测量的要求.     

光机扫描仪扫描条带宽度变化规律研究

研究了光机扫描仪扫描条带宽度随扫描角变化的变化规律,并推导出扫描条带宽度变化量的计算公式.讨论了卫星侧摆成像时,计算条带宽度变化量的方法.最后,建立了扫面条带的数学模型,并对MODIS扫描条带宽度变化进行了仿真.     

随机编码感知的高分辨遥感光谱计算成像

传统遥感光谱成像系统的空间分辨率和光谱分辨率是衡量成像品质的重要指标,而它们受制于探测传感器的点阵密度,提高遥感光谱成像传感器的性能代价非常巨大。另一方面,在入射光能量一定的条件下,由于高分辨光谱的窄波段成像与低窄带辐射能量接收之间的矛盾,传统遥感光谱成像方法的空间分辨率和光谱分辨率往往难以兼得。如何利用普通探测器获得...