USGS Science⌕ Search

SEARCH · USGS Science

Results for “Remote Sensing”

Search indexed USGS publications on groundwater, aquifers, geologic maps, mineral resources and earthquakes. Explore source records by subject and place.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 649 records · Page 36Linked to original sources
USGS1984

MULTISPECTRAL REMOTE SENSING OF CARBONATE ROCKS IN THE CONFUSION RANGE, UTAH.

Multispectral imagery recorded by the NASA/Bendix 24-channel aircraft scanner over the Confusion Range, Utah, proved to be extremely sensitive to lithologic variations in exposed carbonate rocks. Major carbonate units within a 16-km**2 study area were readily distinguished, and some aspects of their structure and stratigraphy could be inferred from image spectral signatures. Spectral data channels centered at 1. 6 and 2. 2 mu m accounted for much of the data sensitivity to lithologic differences. Rock texture, organic matter content, and weathering expression were important lithologic factors producing spectral variation.

Conference Paper↗
USGS1984

STRUCTURAL AND HYDROGEOLOGIC APPLICATIONS OF REMOTE SENSING DATA, EASTERN YUCATAN PENINSULA, MEXICO.

Landsat and Seasat satellite images and aerial photographs of eastern Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico, were analyzed to delineate geologic controls of ground water. Significant interpretation results include the delineation of linear topographic swales, interpreted as fractures, extending more than 50 km along strike from the previously known limit of the Holbox fracture system; the alignment of sink holes (cenotes) and inlets (caletas) on strike with existing faults and fracture systems; and the identification of tonal anomalies in Ingles Lagoon suggesting fresh-water discharge from a submarine spring.

Conference Paper↗
USGS1992

Remote sensing of suspended sediment discharge into the western Gulf of Maine during the April 1987 100-year flood

The suspended sediment discharge during this event was identified using NOAA-9 and NOAA-10 Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) data from March 29 to April 14. The sediment plumes showed a westward movement upon reaching the Gulf of Maine. 105 metric tons of fine-grained sediments were carried onto the continental shelf in the largest plume, that from the Kennebec-Androscoggin river system. -from Authors

Journal of Coastal Research↗
USGS1992

Remote sensing of water clarity and suspended sediments in coastal waters

Processing of data for estimation of suspended sediment concentrations and water clarity in turbid coastal water requires three components: (1) correction of raw data to water reflectance; (2) establishment of appropriate general models relating reflectance characteristics to materials in the water; and (3) determination of the coefficients of the models appropriate for the area under study. This paper presents equations and procedures appropriate for this processing. It provides example coefficients and data for the NOAA advanced very high resolution radiometer, which is the most appropriate sensor for investigating larger estuaries and turbid coastal systems until the launch of an ocean color imager (SeaWiFS) in late 1993.

Conference Paper↗
USGS2006

The study of ozone variations in the Las Vegas metropolitan area using remote sensing information and ground observations

Urban development in the Las Vegas Valley, Nevada, has grown rapidly in the past fifty years. Associated with this growth has been a change in landscape from natural cover types to developed urban land mixed with planned vegetation canopy throughout in the metropolitan area. Air quality in the Las Vegas Valley has been affected by increases in anthropogenic emissions and concentrations of carbon monoxide, ozone, and criteria pollutants of particular matter. Ozone concentration in the region is generally influenced by synoptic and mesoscale meteorological conditions, as well as regional transport of pollutants from the western side of Las Vegas. Local influences from ground-level nitrogen oxide emissions and vegetation canopy coverage also affect ozone concentration. Multi-year observational data collected by a network of local air monitoring stations in Clark County, Nevada, indicate that ozone maximums develop in May and June, while minimums exist primarily from November to February. Ozone concentrations are high on the west and northwest sides of the valley. A nighttime ozone reduction in the urban area characterizes the heterogeneous features of spatial distribution for average ozone levels in the Las Vegas urban area. The urban vegetation canopy has a locally positive effect by reducing ozone in urban areas. Decreased ozone levels associated with increased urban development density suggests that the highest ozone concentrations are associated with medium- to low-density urban development in Las Vegas.

Conference Paper↗
USGS2011

Estimation of land surface evapotranspiration with A satellite remote sensing procedure

There are various methods available for estimating magnitude and trends of evapotranspiration. Bowen ratio energy balance system and eddy correlation techniques offer powerful alternatives for measuring land surface evapotranspiration. In spite of the elegance, high accuracy, and theoretical attractions of these techniques for measuring evapotranspiration, their practical use over large areas can be limited due to the number of sites needed and the related expense. Application of evapotranspiration mapping from satellite measurements can overcome the limitations. The objective of this study was to utilize the METRIC TM (Mapping Evapotranspiration at High Resolution using Internalized Calibration) model in Great Plains environmental settings to understand water use in managed ecosystems on a regional scale. We investigated spatiotemporal distribution of a fraction of reference evapotranspiration (ETrF) using eight Landsat 5 images during the 2005 and 2006 growing season for path 29, row 32. The ETrF maps generated by METRIC TM allowed us to follow the magnitude and trend in ETrF for major land-use classes during the growing season. The ETrF was lower early in the growing season for agricultural crops and gradually increased as the normalized difference vegetation index of crops increased, thus presenting more surface area over which water could transpire toward the midseason. Comparison of predictions with Bowen ratio energy balance system measurements at Clay Center, NE, showed that METRIC TM performed well at the field scale for predicting evapotranspiration from a cornfield. If calibrated properly, the model could be a viable tool to estimate water use in managed ecosystems in subhumid climates at a large scale.

Great Plains Research↗
USGS2010

Agriculture and food availability -- remote sensing of agriculture for food security monitoring in the developing world

For one-sixth of the world’s population - roughly 1 billion children, women and men - growing, buying or receiving adequate, affordable food to eat is a daily uncertainty. The World Monetary Fund reports that food prices worldwide increased 43 percent in 2007-2008, and unpredictable growing conditions make subsistence farming, on which many depend, a risky business. Scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) are part of a network of both private and government institutions that monitor food security in many of the poorest nations in the world.

Earthzine↗
USGS1973

Remote sensing and photogrammetric studies: Part C: comparison between photogrammetric and bistatic-radar slope-frequency distributions

Stereoscopic photographs taken by the metric and panoramic cameras can be used to obtain information on the roughness and slope-frequency distributions of lunar surfaces (see appendix to this part). Bistatic radar on board Apollo 14, 15, and 16 spacecraft may also be used to obtain information on lunar surface roughness at two wavelengths—13 cm (S-band) and 116 cm (VHF).

Book chapter↗
USGS1973

Remote sensing and photogrammetric studies: Appendix to Part C: effect of photogrammetric reading error on slope-frequency distributions

Lunar slope-frequency distributions obtained by photogrammetric techniques are compared with results from the bistatic-radar investigations of the Apollo 14, 15, and 16 missions (refs. 33-16, 33-17, and 33-32) and of Explorer 35 (ref. 33-27). Algebraic standard deviations of slope-frequency distributions from photogrammetric data are equivalent to rms slopes of slope-frequency distributions from bistatic-radar data. Photogrammetrically derived algebraic standard deviations of the distributions are often larger than those obtained by the radar (ref. 33-25) when photogrammetric results at 25-, 200-, and 500-m slope lengths are compared with rms slope estimates from Apollo S-band (13-cm wavelength), Apollo VHF (1.16-m wavelength), and Explorer 35 (2.2-m wavelength) radar.

Book chapter↗
USGS1973

Remote sensing and photogrammetric studies: Part D: repeatability of elevation measurements--Apollo photography

Stereoscopic photographs of the Moon taken by the metric and panoramic cameras on board the service module of Apollo spacecraft provide a source for quantitative data on lunar topography. The accuracy of the topographic data depends, in part, on the repeatability of elevation measurements. The repeatability depends on contrast in the stereoscopic image and is affected by many factors, such as photographic quality, the photogrammetric instrument used, and illumination conditions. For the Moon, illumination conditions are important so that repeatability of elevation measurements may be statistically related to Sun elevation angles, local slopes, and albedos of surfaces. We have examined the effect of Sun elevation angle on repeatability, using Apollo 15 photographs (Wu, unpublished data), and extended the results to slope-related effects.

Book chapter↗