Application of GIS and remote sensing techniques in frost risk mapping for mitigating agricultural losses in the Aberdare ecosystem,Kenya

Frost is a perennial agricultural hazard that normally causes crop damage leading to huge agricultural losses within the Kenyan highlands; aggravated by inadequate information on frost. This research mapped frost hotspots within the Aberdare and Mount Kenya regions and identified the extent of arable land under frost risk while establishing the trend of minimum temperature occurrences between the years 2000 and 2013. Minimum temperature values were extracted from daily Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer land surface temperature data-sets, and frost risk categorized into very severe frost (<250 K), severe frost (250–260 K), moderate frost (260–270 K), minor frost (270–280 K) and areas of no frost. Concentration of frost (<273 K) was mapped within regions above 1500 m asl and occasional occurrences within valleys lower than this altitude with recurrent occurrences in the months of April, May, July, August and November. Elevation, land surface convexity and humidity were found to influence frost occurrence. Improved agricultural practice to mitigate against losses is recommended.     

Local-scale agricultural drought monitoring with satellite-based multi-sensor time-series

ABSTRACT

Globally, drought constitutes a serious threat to food and water security. The complexity and multivariate nature of drought challenges its assessment, especially at local scales. The study aimed to assess spatiotemporal patterns of crop condition and drought impact at the spatial scale of field management units with a combined use of time-series from optical (Landsat, MODIS, Sentinel-2) and Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) (Sentinel 1) data. Several indicators were derived such as Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Normalized Difference Moisture Index (NDMI), Land Surface Temperature (LST), Tasseled cap indices and Sentinel-1 based backscattering intensity and relative surface moisture. We used logistic regression to evaluate the drought-induced variability of remotely sensed parameters estimated for different phases of crop growth. The parameters with the highest prediction rate were further used to estimate thresholds for drought/non-drought classification. The models were evaluated using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve and validated with in-situ data. The results revealed that not all remotely sensed variables respond in the same manner to drought conditions. Growing season maximum NDVI and NDMI (70–75%) and SAR derived metrics (60%) reflect specifically the impact of agricultural drought. These metrics also depict stress affected areas with a larger spatial extent. LST was a useful indicator of crop condition especially for maize and sunflower with prediction rates of 86% and 71%, respectively. The developed approach can be further used to assess crop condition and to support decision-making in areas which are more susceptible and vulnerable to drought.     

A radiance-based split-window algorithm for land surface temperature retrieval: Theory and application to MODIS data

The split-window algorithm is the most commonly used method for land surface temperature (LST) retrieval from satellite data. Simplification of the Planck’s function, as an important step in developing the SWA, allows us to directly relate the radiance to the temperature toward solving the radiative transfer equation (RTE) set. In this study, Planck’s radiance relationship between two adjacent thermal infrared channels was modeled to solve the RTE set instead of simplification of the Planck’s function. A radiance-based split-window algorithm (RBSWA) was developed and applied to Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data. The performance of the RBSWA was assessed and compared with three most common brightness temperature-based split-window algorithms (BTBSWAs) by using the simulated data and satellite measurements. Simulation analysis showed that the LST retrieval using RBSWA had a Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) of 0.5 K and achieved an improvement of 0.3 K compared with three BTBSWAs, and the LST retrieval accuracy using RBSWA was better than 1.5 K considering uncertainties in input parameters based on the sensitivity analysis. For application of RBSWA to MODIS data, the results showed that: 1) comparison between LST from MODIS LST product and LST retrieved using RBSWA showed a mean RMSE of 1.33 K for 108 groups of MODIS image covering continental US, which indicates RBSWA is reliable and robust; 2) when using the measurements from US surface radiation budget network as real values the RMSE of the RBSWA algorithm was 2.55 K and was slightly better than MODIS LST product; and 3) through the cross validation using Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer LST product, the RMSE of the RBSWA algorithm was 2.23 K and was 0.28 K less than that of MODIS LST product. We conclude that the RBSWA for LST retrieval from MODIS data can attain a better accuracy than the BTBSWA.     

地表温度日变化模型偏差系数解算的地表温度降尺度

地表温度LST（Land Surface Temperature）是全球气候变化研究的关键参数,遥感是获取全球和区域尺度地表温度的一种切实可行手段,但现有的单一传感器无法提供高时空分辨率的LST数据,限制了遥感地表温度数据的深入广泛应用。现有的降尺度方法难以生成无缝高时空分辨率的地表温度数据,且降尺度效果易受高空间分辨率LST数据缺失及有效时刻分布影响。本文提出了一种基于地表温度日变化模型DTC（Diurnal Temperature Cycle）偏差系数解算的地表温度降尺度方法,采用FY-4A、MODIS和Landsat 8的LST数据生成晴空及多云条件下逐小时100 m的无缝LST数据。方法主要包含4部分：（1）利用空值重建方法获取无缝的FY-4A的LST数据;（2）建立FY-4A LST数据的DTC模型;（3）采用时空融合模型对MODIS的LST数据进行空间降尺度;（4）解算DTC模型偏差系数,获取逐小时100 m分辨率的无缝LST数据。实验结果表明,本文提出的方法具有较高的降尺度精度,可获得晴空及多云条件下无缝高时空地表温度数据,且高空间分辨率的地表温度数据缺失和有效时刻分布对本文方法降尺度结果影响较小。     

Relationships between field-measured hydrometeorological variables and satellite-based land surface temperature in a hemiboreal raised bog

Temperature regime is one of the main controlling factors of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from peat bogs. Remotely sensed land surface temperature (LST) has a potential to become an efficient instrument in environmental monitoring of carbon dioxide and methane emissions from peat bogs. This paper examines the relationships between field-measured hydrometeorological variables and MODIS LST data in a hemiboreal raised bog for a period from May to September (2008–2016). The Pearson product-moment correlation was used to reveal the relationship between the field-measured parameters and LST over years and months. A multiple linear regression was chosen to model relationships between the hydrometeorological variables and LST by month. It was found that the relationships between the studied parameters and LST were year- and month-dependent. The main factor of LST was air temperature, and the correlation between LST and air temperature was the strongest during the entire period of study. This study has shown that the hydrometeorological factors of LST can explain 67%–81 % of the variance in LST in a hemiboreal raised bog. The relationships between the hydrometeorological variables and LST may be implemented in more accurate GHG emissions estimation from bogs.     

Diurnal and seasonal impacts of urbanization on the urban thermal environment: A case study of Beijing using MODIS data

Beijing has experienced rapid urbanization and associated urban heat island effects and air pollution. In this study, a contribution index was proposed to explore the effect of urbanization on land surface temperature (LST) using Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS)-derived data with high temporal resolution. The analysis indicated that different zones and landscapes make diurnally and seasonally different contributions to the regional thermal environment. The differences in contributions by the three main functional zones resulted from differences in their landscape compositions. The roles of landscapes in this process varied diurnally and seasonally. Urban land was the most important contributor to increases in regional LSTs. The contributions of cropland and forest varied distinctly between daytime and nighttime owing to differences in their thermal inertias. Vegetation had a notable cooling effect as the normalized vegetation difference index (NDVI) increased during summer. However, when the NDVI reached a certain value, the nighttime LST shifted markedly in other seasons. The results suggest that urban design based on vegetation partitions would be effective for regulating the thermal environment.     

An integrated methodology for soil moisture analysis using multispectral data in Mongolia

Soil moisture (SM) content is one of the most important environmental variables in relation to land surface climatology, hydrology, and ecology. Long-term SM data-sets on a regional scale provide reasonable information about climate change and global warming specific regions. The aim of this research work is to develop an integrated methodology for SM of kastanozems soils using multispectral satellite data. The study area is Tuv (48°40′30″N and 106°15′55″E) province in the forest steppe zones in Mongolia. In addition to this, land surface temperature (LST) and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) from Landsat satellite images were integrated for the assessment. Furthermore, we used a digital elevation model (DEM) from ASTER satellite image with 30-m resolution. Aspect and slope maps were derived from this DEM. The soil moisture index (SMI) was obtained using spectral information from Landsat satellite data. We used regression analysis to develop the model. The model shows how SMI from satellite depends on LST, NDVI, DEM, Slope, and Aspect in the agricultural area. The results of the model were correlated with the ground SM data in Tuv province. The results indicate that there is a good agreement between output SM and SM of ground truth for agricultural area. Further research is focused on moisture mapping for different natural zones in Mongolia. The innovative part of this research is to estimate SM using drivers which are vegetation, land surface temperature, elevation, aspect, and slope in the forested steppe area. This integrative methodology can be applied for different regions with forest and desert steppe zones.     

城市地表温度空间降尺度研究—以北京市为例

地表温度LST（Land Surface Temperature）是城市热环境研究的重要参数之一,城市下垫面极为复杂,LST空间差异性较高。高空间分辨率LST对精细化城市热环境监测和缓解具有重要意义。目前大部分城市遥感LST降尺度研究仍以二维角度为主,缺乏建筑三维结构的考虑。本研究同时考虑地表二维和三维指标,构建基于随机森林方法的降尺度模型,开展MODIS 1 km LST降尺度研究（100 m）,并探讨二维和三维建筑形态对LST影响的空间尺度效应。另外,为了弥补随机森林模型缺乏物理基础的不足,参考热辐射传输方程,将方程中传感器接收的辐亮度和与大气透过率相关的大气可降水量,加入降尺度模型构建中。为了更好利用真实观测的MODIS 1 km LST验证降尺度结果,故将MODIS LST和所有指标因子升尺度至5 km,开展5 km LST降尺度至1 km研究,进一步研究探讨大气顶层辐亮度和大气可降水量对LST降尺度的影响。研究结果表明：（1）随机森林模型中增加辐亮度和大气可降水量前后,通过将5 km LST降尺度后1 km LST与原始MODIS 1 km LST相比,RMSE和R²分别由3.1 K和0.5提高至0.38 K和0.94。（2）当随机森林模型中增加建筑形态指标后,模型的袋外分数OOB_score由0.46提高至0.49,模拟的100 m LST与ASTER LST产品比较,R²有所降低,可能的原因是ASTER 和MODIS LST的反演方法和传感器不同,造成两者在100 m尺度下的对比性差一些。但是当驱动因子中增加MOD02和MOD05后,RMSE和R²由2.4 K和0.29提高至1.2 K和0.68,进一步说明MOD02和MOD05在1 km LST降至100 m过程中,起到至关重要作用。（3）在1 km和100 m尺度下,增加建筑形态后,模型OOB_score均有提高,并且建筑形态指标的重要性有所不同,在100 m尺度下独立建筑形态的影响程度有所增加。综上,MODIS LST在城市地区降尺度研究中需要考虑大气顶层辐亮度、大气可降水量和建筑形态的影响,并且不同的建筑形态对LST的重要性存在空间尺度效应。     

Modeling Urban Growth Using GIS and Remote Sensing

Based on remote sensing and GIS, this study models the spatial variations of urban growth patterns with a logistic geographically weighted regression (GWR) technique. Through a case study of Springfield, Missouri, the research employs both global and local logistic regression to model the probability of urban land expansion against a set of spatial and socioeconomic variables. The logistic GWR model significantly improves the global logistic regression model in three ways: (1) the local model has higher PCP (percentage correctly predicted) than the global model; (2) the local model has a smaller residual than the global model; and (3) residuals of the local model have less spatial dependence. More importantly, the local estimates of parameters enable us to investigate spatial variations in the influences of driving factors on urban growth. Based on parameter estimates of logistic GWR and using the inverse distance weighted (IDW) interpolation method, we generate a set of parameter surfaces to reveal the spatial variations of urban land expansion. The geographically weighted local analysis correctly reveals that urban growth in Springfield, Missouri is more a result of infrastructure construction, and an urban sprawl trend is observed from 1992 to 2005.     

用被动微波AMSR数据反演地表温度及发射率的方法研究

 针对对地观测卫星多传感器的特点，提出了借助MODIS地表温度产品从被动微波数据中反演地表温度的方法。即利用MODIS地表温度产品和AMSR不同通道之间的亮度温度，建立地表温度的反演方程。该方法克服了以往需要测量同步数据的困难，为不同传感器之间的参数反演相互校正和综合利用多传感器的数据提供实际应用和理论依据。文中以MODIS地表温度产品作为评价标准，对方法进行检验，其平均误差为2~3℃。另外，微波的发射率是土壤水分反演的关键参数，在对微波地表温度反演的基础上，进一步对发射率进行了研究。     

Retrieval of land surface temperature from the Kalpana-1 VHRR data using a single-channel algorithm and its validation over western India

Indian geostationary satellite Kalpana-1 (K1) offers a potential to capture the diurnal cycle of land surface temperature (LST) through thermal infrared channel (10.5–12.5 μm) observations of the Very High Resolution Radiometer (VHRR) sensor. A study was carried out to retrieve LST by adapting a generalized single-channel (SC) algorithm (Jiménez-Muñoz and Sobrino, 2003) for the VHRR sensor over India. The basis of SC algorithm depends on the concept of Atmospheric Functions (AFs) that are dependent on transmissivity, upwelling and downwelling radiances of the atmosphere. In the present study AFs were computed for the VHRR sensor through the MODTRAN simulations based upon varying atmospheric and surface inputs. The AFs were fitted with the atmospheric columnar water vapour content and a set of coefficients was derived for LST retrieval. The K1-LST derived with the SC algorithm was validated with (a) in situ measurements at two sites located in western parts of India and (b) the MODIS LST products. Comparison of K1-LST with the in situ measurements demonstrated that SC algorithm was successful in capturing the prominent diurnal variations of 283–332 K in the LST at desert and agriculture experimental sites with a rmse of 1.6 K and 2.7 K, respectively. Inter comparison of K1-LST and MODIS LST showed a reasonable agreement between these two retrievals up to LST of 300 K, however a cold bias up to 7.9 K was observed in MODIS LST for higher LST values (310–330 K) over the hot desert region.     

同化MODIS温度产品估算地表水热通量

基于集合卡尔曼滤波和通用陆面模型(CLM 1.0)发展了一个地表温度的同化系统。这个系统同化了MODIS温度产品, 并将MODIS的叶面积指数引入CLM模型中, 主要用于改进地表水热通量的估算精度。将CLM输出的地表温度与MODIS地表温度建立关系, 并作为同化系统的观测算子。将MODIS地表温度与实测地表温度进行了比较, 将其均方差(Root Mean Square Error, RMSE)作为观测误差。选取3个美国通量网站点(Blackhill、Bondville、Brookings)作为实验数据, 结果表明: 同化结果中地表温度、显热通量的估算精度均有提高。其中Blackhill站的估算精度改进最大, 均方差由81.5W·m-2减小到58.4W·m-2, Bondville站均方差由47.0W·m-2减小到31.8W·m-2, Brookings站均方差由46.5W·m-2减小到45.1W·m-2。潜热通量估算精度在Bondville站均方差由88.6W·m-2减小到57.7W·m-2, Blackhill站均方差由53.4W·m-2减小到47.2W·m-2。总之, 结合陆面过程模型同化MODIS温度产品估算地表水热通量是可行的。     

中国MODIS地表温度产品验证

分析了MODIS地表温度产品的误差来源，重点研究利用高分辨率遥感影像数据ASTER同步反演的验证方法。以2003年8月1日太 湖地区为例，用ASTER数据的反演结果与同时相的MODIS地表温度产品进行比较，分别在太湖水面、无锡城区及城郊农田3个典型地表 状况下选取感兴趣区域做线性拟合，取得了较好的结果，拟合的R2值可达0.966 6。     

Dynamics and controls of urban heat sink and island phenomena in a desert city: Development of a local climate zone scheme using remotely-sensed inputs

This study aims to determine the dynamics and controls of Surface Urban Heat Sinks (SUHS) and Surface Urban Heat Islands (SUHI) in desert cities, using Dubai as a case study. A Local Climate Zone (LCZ) schema was developed to subdivide the city into different zones based on similarities in land cover and urban geometry. Proximity to the Gulf Coast was also determined for each LCZ. The LCZs were then used to sample seasonal and daily imagery from the MODIS thermal sensor to determine Land Surface Temperature (LST) variations relative to desert sand. Canonical correlation techniques were then applied to determine which factors explained the variability between urban and desert LST.Our results indicate that the daytime SUHS effect is greatest during the summer months (typically ∼3.0 °C) with the strongest cooling effects in open high-rise zones of the city. In contrast, the night-time SUHI effect is greatest during the winter months (typically ∼3.5 °C) with the strongest warming effects in compact mid-rise zones of the city. Proximity to the Arabian Gulf had the largest influence on both SUHS and SUHI phenomena, promoting daytime cooling in the summer months and night-time warming in the winter months. However, other parameters associated with the urban environment such as building height had an influence on daytime cooling, with larger buildings promoting shade and variations in airflow. Likewise, other parameters such as sky view factor contributed to night-time warming, with higher temperatures associated with limited views of the sky.     

A case study for intercomparison of land surface temperature retrieved from GOES and MODIS

In recent years, algorithms have been developed to derive land surface temperature (LST) from geostationary and polar satellite systems. However, few works have addressed the intercomparison between Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES) and the available suite of polar sensors. In this study, differences in LSTs between GOES and MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) have been compared and also evaluated against ground observations. Due to the lack of split-window (SW) channels in the GOES M (12)-Q era, a dual-window algorithm using a mid-infrared 3.9 µm channel is compared with traditional SW algorithm. It is found that the differences in LST between different platforms are bigger during daytime than those during nighttime. During daytime, LSTs from GOES with the dual-window algorithm are warmer than MODIS LSTs, while LSTs from the SW algorithm are close to MODIS LSTs. The difference during daytime is found to be related to anisotropy in satellite viewing geometry, and land surface properties, such as vegetation cover and especially surface emissivity at middle infrared (MIR) channel. When evaluated against ground observations, the standard deviation (precision) error (2.35 K) from the dual window algorithm is worse than that (1.83 K) from the SW algorithm, indicating the lack of split-window channel in the GOES M(12)-Q era may degrade the performance of LST retrievals.     

Downscaling of Land Surface Temperature Maps in the Texas High Plains with the TsHARP Method

High-resolution evapotranspiration (ET) maps can assist demand-based irrigation management. Development of high-resolution daily ET maps requires high-resolution land surface temperature (LST) images. Earth-observing satellite sensors such as the Landsat 5 Thematic Mapper (TM) and MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) provide thermal images that are coarser than simultaneously acquired visible and near-infrared images. In this study, we evaluated the TsHARP downscaling technique for its capability to downscale coarser LST images using finer resolution normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) data. The TsHARP technique was implemented to downscale seven coarser scale (240, 360, 480, 600, 720, 840, and 960 m) synthetic images to a 120 m LST image. The TsHARP was also evaluated for downscaling a coarser 960 m LST image to 240 m to mimic MODIS datasets. Comparison between observed 120 m LST images and 120 m LST images downscaled from coarser 240, 360, 480, 600, 720, 840, and 960 m images yielded root mean square errors of 1.0, 1.3, 1.5, 1.6, 1.7, 1.8, and 1.9°C, respectively. This indicates that the TsHARP method can be used for downscaling coarser (960 m) MODIS-based LST images using finer Landsat (120 m) or MODIS (240 m)-derived NDVI images. However, the TsSHARP method should be evaluated further with real datasets before using it for an operational ET remote sensing program for irrigation scheduling purposes.     

多源地表温度估算近地表气温的精度对比

气象站点稀疏会导致观测到的近地表气温空间不连续,基于地表温度数据结合辅助变量估算气温成为获取气温空间分布的有效方式。目前,已有多种地表温度产品,但鲜有研究评估多源地表温度数据在估算气温时的精度及其适用性。针对该问题,首先,利用Google Earth Engine平台和随机森林算法,基于Landsat、中分辨率成像光谱仪(moderateresolution imaging spectroradiometer,MODIS)、全球陆面数据同化系统（global land data assimilation system,GLDAS）3种地表温度数据源估算了黄河流域近地表气温的最大值、最小值和平均值;然后,结合站点观测分析了多源地表温度估算气温的精度及适用性。结果表明,3种地表温度数据源估算夏季气温平均值时精度差异较小;对于气温极值估算,GLDAS数据显著优于MODIS和Landsat数据;每种数据源估算气温极值的精度低于其估算气温均值;此外,地表温度的时间分辨率会显著影响近地表气温的估算精度。该成果可以为长时序气温产品估算提供科学参考。     

青藏高原那曲地区MODIS 地表温度估算

地表温度是区域和全球尺度陆面过程研究中的一个关键参数,利用遥感卫星资料反演得到的地表温度数据在气象、水文和生态领域研究中有重要作用.本文基于改进后的针对MODIS 数据的分裂窗口算法,对MODIS L1B 卫星数据进行实用而简便的云检测处理,并根据青藏高原陆地、水体和冰雪等常见下垫面状况的遥感影像分类结果,反演得到了2007-01-03 、04-18 、06-12 和10-02 四日的无云下垫面地表温度.最后,将Sobrino 结果在青藏高原那曲地区与MODIS 日地表温度产品及CAMP/Tibet 观测站地表温度数据进行了对比验证分析.结果表明,该方法得到的地表温度结果与MODIS 数据产品具有较好的一致性,并且地表温度结果与地面观测数据(去除可疑点后)的平均误差仅为1.435 K .     

Angular effect of MODIS emissivity products and its application to the split-window algorithm

The angular effects of emissivity are ignored in current land surface temperature (LST) products. As a result, the directionality of these LST products limits their further application in many fields. Accurate correction of the angular problem of LST products requires explicit understanding of the angular effects of emissivity at the pixel scale. Currently, nearly ten years of global emissivity products of MODIS are available. However, the pixel-scale directionality of emissivity has never been analyzed. By performing a statistical analysis of 5-year MODIS emissivity products over most of East Asia, we generated the empirical relationships between the directional emissivity, land cover, and seasonal variations. Two look-up tables (LUTs) of directional emissivity were created for typical land cover types and applied to the generalized split-window algorithm to modify the MODIS LST. The results showed that the angular effect of emissivity could introduce a significant bias of −1-3 K to the 1 km resolution LST. Finally, the spatial scale effects of emissivity were analyzed, and it was found that the temperature differences caused by scale effects fell within +/−0.5 K for most pixels if 5 km emissivity was used in 1 km LST retrieval. Therefore, wide use of the LUTs can be expected.     

The potential of the greenness and radiation (GR) model to interpret 8-day gross primary production of vegetation

Remote sensing of vegetation gross primary production (GPP) is an important step to analyze terrestrial carbon (C) cycles in response to changing climate. The availability of global networks of C flux measurements provides a valuable opportunity to develop remote sensing based GPP algorithms and test their performances across diverse regions and plant functional types (PFTs). Using 70 global C flux measurements including 24 non-forest (NF), 17 deciduous forest (DF) and 29 evergreen forest (EF), we present the evaluation of an upscaled remote sensing based greenness and radiation (GR) model for GPP estimation. This model is developed using enhanced vegetation index (EVI) and land surface temperature (LST) from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and global course resolution radiation data from the National Center for Environmental Prediction (NCEP). Model calibration was achieved using statistical parameters of both EVI and LST fitted for different PFTs. Our results indicate that compared to the standard MODIS GPP product, the calibrated GR model improved the GPP accuracy by reducing the root mean square errors (RMSE) by 16%, 30% and 11% for the NF, DF and EF sites, respectively. The standard MODIS and GR model intercomparisons at individual sites for GPP estimation also showed that GR model performs better in terms of model accuracy and stability. This evaluation demonstrates the potential use of the GR model in capturing short-term GPP variations in areas lacking ground measurements for most of vegetated ecosystems globally.