A comparison of field- and satellite-derived thermal flux at Piton de la Fournaise: implications for the calculation of lava discharge rate

We present thermal measurements made by high spatial resolution ground-based (a hand-held thermal camera) and low spatial resolution space-based (MODIS) instruments for a lava flow field active during the last phase of the May–July 2003 eruption at Piton de la Fournaise (La Réunion). Multiple oblique ground-based thermal images were merged to provide full coverage of the flow-field. These were then corrected for path length attenuation and orthorectified, allowing the at-surface radiance emitted by the flow-field to be estimated. Comparison with the radiance recorded by the MODIS sensors during the eruption reveals that, for clear-sky conditions and moderate-to-low viewing angles (satellite zenith <40°), the satellite measurements represent ∼90% of the at-surface radiance, and thus represent valuable data for quantifying volcanic thermal anomalies. Nevertheless, extreme viewing geometries and the presence of clouds strongly affect the radiance reaching the sensor and affected data from 94% of the overpasses. Ground-based thermal data were used to investigate an empirical relationship between the radiant heat flux and lava discharge rate during the emplacement of pahoehoe flows. While the average radiation temperature for flow surface that were 6–24 h old ranged between 500 K and 625 K, the ratio between radiative heat flux and Time-Averaged lava Discharge Rate (TADR) ranged between 1.5 × 10⁸ J m⁻³ and 3.5 × 10⁸ J m⁻³. This relationship was used to estimate TADR values from optimal MODIS data and produced results in line with those obtained from GPS surveys (Coppola et al. 2005). Our results underscore the importance of ground-based thermal analysis for the interpretation of satellite measurements, particularly in terms of calculating discharge rate trends.     

Complex effusive events at Kīlauea as documented by the GOES satellite and remote video cameras

 GOES provides thermal data for all of the Hawaiian volcanoes once every 15 min. We show how volcanic radiance time series produced from this data stream can be used as a simple measure of effusive activity. Two types of radiance trends in these time series can be used to monitor effusive activity: (a) Gradual variations in radiance reveal steady flow-field extension and tube development. (b) Discrete spikes correlate with short bursts of activity, such as lava fountaining or lava-lake overflows. We are confident that any effusive event covering more than 10,000 m² of ground in less than 60 min will be unambiguously detectable using this approach. We demonstrate this capability using GOES, video camera and ground-based observational data for the current eruption of Kīlauea volcano (Hawai'i). A GOES radiance time series was constructed from 3987 images between 19 June and 12 August 1997. This time series displayed 24 radiance spikes elevated more than two standard deviations above the mean; 19 of these are correlated with video-recorded short-burst effusive events. Less ambiguous events are interpreted, assessed and related to specific volcanic events by simultaneous use of permanently recording video camera data and ground-observer reports. The GOES radiance time series are automatically processed on data reception and made available in near-real-time, so such time series can contribute to three main monitoring functions: (a) automatically alerting major effusive events; (b) event confirmation and assessment; and (c) establishing effusive event chronology. Received: 12 January 1999 / Accepted: 13 July 1999     

Mitigating systematic error in topographic models derived from UAV and ground‐based image networks

High resolution digital elevation models (DEMs) are increasingly produced from photographs acquired with consumer cameras, both from the ground and from unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). However, although such DEMs may achieve centimetric detail, they can also display systematic broad‐scale error that restricts their wider use. Such errors which, in typical UAV data are expressed as a vertical ‘doming’ of the surface, result from a combination of near‐parallel imaging directions and inaccurate correction of radial lens distortion. Using simulations of multi‐image networks with near‐parallel viewing directions, we show that enabling camera self‐calibration as part of the bundle adjustment process inherently leads to erroneous radial distortion estimates and associated DEM error. This effect is relevant whether a traditional photogrammetric or newer structure‐from‐motion (SfM) approach is used, but errors are expected to be more pronounced in SfM‐based DEMs, for which use of control and check point measurements are typically more limited. Systematic DEM error can be significantly reduced by the additional capture and inclusion of oblique images in the image network; we provide practical flight plan solutions for fixed wing or rotor‐based UAVs that, in the absence of control points, can reduce DEM error by up to two orders of magnitude. The magnitude of doming error shows a linear relationship with radial distortion and we show how characterization of this relationship allows an improved distortion estimate and, hence, existing datasets to be optimally reprocessed. Although focussed on UAV surveying, our results are also relevant to ground‐based image capture. © 2014 The Authors. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.     

Using visibility analysis to improve point density and processing time of SfM-MVS techniques for 3D reconstruction of landforms

Image network geometry, including the number and orientation of images, impacts the error, coverage, and processing time of 3D terrain mapping performed using structure-from-motion and multiview-stereo (SfM-MVS). Few studies have quantified trade-offs in error and processing time or ways to optimize image acquisition in diverse topographic conditions. Here, we determine suitable camera locations for image acquisition by minimizing the occlusion produced by topography. Viewshed analysis is used to select the suitable images, which requires a preliminary digital elevation model (DEM), potential camera locations, and sensor parameters. One aerial and two ground-based image collections were used to analyse differences between SfM-MVS models produced using: (1) all available images (ALL); (2) images selected using conventional methods (CON); and (3) images selected using the viewshed analysis (VIEW). The resulting models were compared with benchmark point clouds acquired by a terrestrial laser scanner (TLS) and TLS-derived DEMs. The VIEW datasets produced denser point clouds (28–32% more points) and DEMs with up to 66% reduction in error compared with CON datasets due to reduction of gaps in the DEM. VIEW datasets reduced processing time by 37–76% compared with ALL, with no reduction in coverage or increase in error. DEMs produced with ALL and VIEW datasets had similar slope and roughness, while slight differences that may be locally important were observed for the CON dataset. The new method helps optimize SfM-MVS image collection strategies that significantly reduce the number of images required with minimal loss in coverage or accuracy over complex surfaces. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A search for coastline effects on the auroras

A camera on board the Polar spacecraft has provided an unique opportunity to search for coastline effects on the spatial distributions of auroral emissions. This study is motivated by a ground-based report of such shoreline effects on auroral emissions during the Russian Polar Expedition of almost a century ago. This Polar camera, the Low-Resolution Visible Camera of the Visible Imaging System, is capable of obtaining auroral images of the Northern Hemisphere with high spatial and temporal resolutions for extended continuous periods of time, i.e., tens of km, one to several minutes, and many hours, respectively. The entire set of 8588 auroral images at OI 557.7 nm which were gathered during January 1997 were examined for three types of coastal effects, (1) diversion of the auroral arc at the shore, (2) increase of intensity as the arc is followed from sea to land, and (3) decrease of intensity from sea to land. A null test of the results of this auroral survey was conducted by a search of the entire set of images for random coincidences of auroral features in rotated maps of the coastlines. This null test provides support for the occasional transient existence of coastline effects during the onset and early expansion phases of auroral substorms and some auroral intensifications.     

Rapid,low-cost photogrammetry to monitor volcanic eruptions: an example from Mount St. Helens,Washington, USA

We describe a low-cost application of digital photogrammetry using commercially available photogrammetric software and oblique photographs taken with an off-the-shelf digital camera to create sequential digital elevation models (DEMs) of a lava dome that grew during the 2004–2008 eruption of Mount St. Helens (MSH) volcano. Renewed activity at MSH provided an opportunity to devise and test this method, because it could be validated against other observations of this well-monitored volcano. The datasets consist of oblique aerial photographs (snapshots) taken from a helicopter using a digital single-lens reflex camera. Twelve sets of overlapping digital images of the dome taken during 2004–2007 were used to produce DEMs and to calculate lava dome volumes and extrusion rates. Analyses of the digital images were carried out using photogrammetric software to produce three-dimensional coordinates of points identified in multiple photos. The evolving morphology of the dome was modeled by comparing successive DEMs. Results were validated by comparison to volume measurements derived from traditional vertical photogrammetric surveys by the US Geological Survey Cascades Volcano Observatory. Our technique was significantly less expensive and required less time than traditional vertical photogrammetric techniques; yet, it consistently yielded volume estimates within 5% of the traditional method. This technique provides an inexpensive, rapid assessment tool for tracking lava dome growth or other topographic changes at restless volcanoes.     

Satellite remote sensing and conceptual cloud modeling for convective rainfall simulation

Motivated by the need for rainfall prediction models in data scarce areas, we adapted a simple storage based cloud model to use routinely available thermal infrared (TIR) data. The data is obtained from the Spinning Enhanced Visible and InfraRed Imager (SEVIRI) of the Meteosat Second Generation (MSG-2) satellite. Model inputs are TIR cloud top temperatures at 15-min intervals and observations of pressure, temperature, and dew point temperatures from ground-based stations at 30-min intervals. The sensitivity of the parsimonious cloud model to its parameters is evaluated by a regional sensitivity analysis (RSA) which suggests that model performance is sensitive to few parameters. The model was calibrated and tested for four convective events that were observed during the wet season in the source basin of the Upper Blue Nile River. The difference between the simulated and the observed depth of the selected rain events varies between 0.2 and 1.8 mm with a root mean square error of smaller than 0.5 mm for each event. It is shown that the updraft velocity characteristic can provide relevant information for rainfall forecasting. The simulation results suggest the effectiveness of the model approach as evaluated by selected performance measures. The various characteristics of the rainfall events as simulated generally match to observed counter parts when ground-based and remote sensing observations are combined.     

Validation of GOME total ozone by means of the Norwegian ozone monitoring network

The Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment (GOME) onboard the ERS-2 satellite has been in operation since July 1995. The Norwegian ground-based total ozone network has played an important role both in the main validation during the commissioning phase and in the validation of upgraded versions of the analysis algorithms of the instrument. The ground-based network consists of various spectrometer types (Dobson, Brewer, UV filter instruments). The validation of the second algorithm version used until January 1998 reveals a very good agreement between GOME and ground-based data at solar zenith angles <60° and deviations of GOME total ozone data from ground-based data of up to ±60 DU (∼20%) at zenith angles ≥60°. The deviations strongly depend on the season of the year, being negative in summer and positive in winter/spring, The deviations furthermore show a considerable scattering (up to ±25 DU in monthly average values of 5° SZA intervals), even in close spatial and temporal coincidence with ground-based measurements, especially in the high Arctic. The deviations are also dependent on the viewing geometry/ground pixel size with an additional negative offset for the large pixels used in the backswath mode and at solar zenith angles ≥85°, compared to forward-swath pixels.     

Space- and ground-based measurements of sulphur dioxide emissions from Turrialba Volcano (Costa Rica)

Remotely sensed measurements of sulphur dioxide (SO₂) emitted by Turrialba Volcano (Costa Rica) are reported for the period September 2009–January 2011. These measurements were obtained using images from Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflexion radiometer, Ozone Monitoring Instrument and a ground-based UV camera. These three very different instruments provide flux measurements in good agreement with each other, which demonstrate that they can be integrated for monitoring SO₂ fluxes. Fluxes from Turrialba increased fourfold in January 2010, following a phreatic explosion that formed a degassing vent in the W crater of Turrialba. Since then, the SO₂ flux has remained high (30–50?kg/s) but seems to be showing a slowly decreasing trend. We interpret this evolution as the start of open vent degassing from a recently intruded magma body. The opening of the degassing vent decreased the confining pressure of the magma body and allowed the gases to bypass the hydrothermal system.     

Amplitude Corrections for Regional Seismic Discriminants

—?A fundamental problem associated with event identification lies in deriving corrections that remove path and earthquake source effects on regional phase amplitudes used to construct discriminants. Our goal is to derive a set of physically based corrections that are independent of magnitude and distance, and amenable to multivariate discrimination by extending the technique described in Taylor and Hartse (1998). For a given station and source region, a number of well-recorded earthquakes is used to estimate source and path corrections. The source model assumes a simple Brune (1970) earthquake source that has been extended to handle non-constant stress drop. The discrimination power in using corrected amplitudes lies in the assumption that the earthquake model will provide a poor fit to the signals from an explosion. The propagation model consists of a frequency-independent geometrical spreading and frequency-dependent power law Q. A grid search is performed simultaneously at each station for all recorded regional phases over stress-drop, geometrical spreading, and frequency-dependent Q to find a suite of good-fitting models that remove the dependence on m _b and distance. Seismic moments can either be set to pre-determined values or estimated through inversion and are tied to m _b through two additional coefficients. We also solve for frequency-dependent site/phase excitation terms. Once a set of corrections is derived, effects of source scaling and distance as a function of frequency are applied to amplitudes from new events prior to forming discrimination ratios. Thus, all the corrections are tied to just m _b (or M ₀) and distance and can be applied very rapidly in an operational setting. Moreover, phase amplitude residuals as a function of frequency can be spatially interpolated (e.g., using kriging) and used to construct a correction surface for each phase and frequency. The spatial corrections from the correction surfaces can then be applied to the corrected amplitudes based only on the event location. The correction parameters and correction surfaces can be developed offline and entered into an online database for pipeline processing providing multivariate-normal corrected amplitudes for event identification. Examples are shown using events from western China recorded at the station MAKZ.     

Mitigating systematic error in topographic models for geomorphic change detection: accuracy,precision and considerations beyond off-nadir imagery

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and structure-from-motion photogrammetry enable detailed quantification of geomorphic change. However, rigorous precision-based change detection can be compromised by survey accuracy problems producing systematic topographic error (e.g. ‘doming’), with error magnitudes greatly exceeding precision estimates. Here, we assess survey sensitivity to systematic error, directly correcting topographic data so that error magnitudes align more closely with precision estimates. By simulating conventional grid-style photogrammetric aerial surveys, we quantify the underlying relationships between survey accuracy, camera model parameters, camera inclination, tie point matching precision and topographic relief, and demonstrate a relative insensitivity to image overlap. We show that a current doming-mitigation strategy of using a gently inclined (<15°) camera can reduce accuracy by promoting a previously unconsidered correlation between decentring camera lens distortion parameters and the radial terms known to be responsible for systematic topographic error. This issue is particularly relevant for the wide-angle cameras often integrated into current-generation, accessible UAV systems, frequently used in geomorphic research. Such systems usually perform on-board image pre-processing, including applying generic lens distortion corrections, that subsequently alter parameter interrelationships in photogrammetric processing (e.g. partially correcting radial distortion, which increases the relative importance of decentring distortion in output images). Surveys from two proglacial forefields (Arolla region, Switzerland) showed that results from lower-relief topography with a 10°-inclined camera developed vertical systematic doming errors > 0·3 m, representing accuracy issues an order of magnitude greater than precision-based error estimates. For higher-relief topography, and for nadir-imaging surveys of the lower-relief topography, systematic error was < 0·09 m. Modelling and subtracting the systematic error directly from the topographic data successfully reduced error magnitudes to values consistent with twice the estimated precision. Thus, topographic correction can provide a more robust approach to uncertainty-based detection of event-scale geomorphic change than designing surveys with small off-nadir camera inclinations and, furthermore, can substantially reduce ground control requirements. © 2020 The Authors. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd     

Radiative transfer corrections for accurate spectroscopic measurements of volcanic gas emissions

There is widespread use of passive remote sensing techniques to quantify trace gas column densities in volcanic plumes utilizing scattered sunlight as a light source. Examples include passive DOAS, COSPEC, and the SO₂ camera. In order to calculate trace gas concentrations or volcanic emission fluxes, knowledge about the optical path through the plume is necessary. In the past, a straight photon path through the plume has always been assumed although it was known that this is not always true. Here we present the results of model studies conducted specifically to quantify the effects of realistic radiative transfer in and around volcanic plumes on ground-based remote sensing measurements of SO₂. The results show that measurements conducted without additional information on average photon paths can be inaccurate under certain conditions, with possible errors spanning more than an order of magnitude. Both over and underestimation of the true column density can occur. Actual errors depend on parameters such as distance between instrument and plume, plume SO₂ concentration, plume aerosol load, as well as aerosol conditions in the ambient atmosphere. As an example, a measurement conducted with an SO₂ camera is discussed, the results of which can only be correctly interpreted if realistic radiative transfer is considered. Finally, a method is presented which for the first time allows the retrieval of actual average photon paths in spectroscopic (i.e. DOAS) measurements of adequate resolution. By allowing for a wavelength dependent column density during the evaluation of DOAS measurements, we show how radiative transfer effects can be corrected using information inherently available in the measured spectra, thus greatly enhancing the accuracy of DOAS measurements of volcanic emissions.     

Multi-instrument remote and in situ observations of the Erebus Volcano (Antarctica) lava lake in 2005: A comparison with the Pele lava lake on the jovian moon Io

The stable, persistent, active lava lake at Erebus volcano (Ross Island, Antarctica) provides an excellent thermal target for analysis of spacecraft observations, and for testing new technology. In the austral summer of 2005 visible and infrared observations of the Erebus lava lake were obtained with sensors on three space vehicles Terra (ASTER, MODIS), Aqua (MODIS) and EO-1 (Hyperion, ALI). Contemporaneous ground-based observations were obtained with hand-held infrared cameras. This allowed a quantitative comparison of the thermal data obtained from different instruments, and of the analytical techniques used to analyze the data, both with and without the constraints imposed by ground-truth. From the thermal camera data, in December 2005 the main Erebus lava lake (Ray Lake) had an area of ≈ 820 m². Surface colour temperatures ranged from 575 K to 1090 K, with a broad peak in the distribution from 730 K to 850 K. Total heat loss was estimated at 23.5 MW. The flux density was ≈ 29 kW m^− 2. Mass flux was estimated at 64 to 93 kg s^− 1. The best correlation between thermal emission and emitting area was obtained with ASTER, which has the best combination of spatial resolution and wavelength coverage, especially in the thermal infrared. The high surface temperature of the lava lake means that Hyperion data are for the most part saturated. Uncertainties, introduced by the need to remove incident sunlight cause the thermal emission from the Hyperion data to be a factor of about two greater than that measured by hand-held thermal camera. MODIS also over-estimated thermal output from the lava lake by the same factor of two because it was detecting reflected sunlight from the rest of the pixel area. The measurement of the detailed temperature distribution on the surface of an active terrestrial lava lake will allow testing of thermal emission models used to interpret remote-sensing data of volcanism on Io, where no such ground-truth exists. Although the Erebus lava lake is four orders of magnitude smaller than the lava lake at Pele on Io, the shape of the integrated thermal emission spectra are similar. Thermal emission from this style of effusive volcanism appears to be invariant. Excess thermal emission in most Pele spectra (compared to Erebus) at short wavelengths (< 3 μm) is most likely due to disruption of the surface on the lava lake by escaping volatiles.     

Improving Regional Seismic Event Location in China

—?In an effort to improve our ability to locate seismic events in China using only regional data, we have developed empirical propagation path corrections and applied such corrections using traditional location routines. Thus far, we have concentrated on corrections to observed P arrival times for crustal events using travel-time observations available from the USGS Earthquake Data Reports, the International Seismic Centre Bulletin, the preliminary International Data Center Reviewed Event Bulletin, and our own travel-time picks from regional data. Location ground truth for events used in this study ranges from 25?km for well-located teleseimic events, down to 2?km for nuclear explosions located using satellite imagery. We also use eight events for which depth is constrained using several waveform methods. We relocate events using the EvLoc algorithm from a region encompassing much of China (latitude 20°–55°N; longitude 65°–115°E). We observe that travel-time residuals exhibit a distance-dependent bias using IASPEI91 as our base model. To remedy this bias, we have developed a new 1-D model for China, which removes a significant portion of the distance bias. For individual stations having sufficient P-wave residual data, we produce a map of the regional travel-time residuals from all well-located teleseismic events. Residuals are used only if they are smaller than 10?s in absolute value and if the seismic event is located with accuracy better than 25?km. From the residual data, correction surfaces are constructed using modified Bayesian kriging. Modified Bayesian kriging offers us the advantage of providing well-behaved interpolants and their errors, but requires that we have adequate error estimates associated with the travel-time residuals from which they are constructed. For our P-wave residual error estimate, we use the sum of measurement and modeling errors, where measurement error is based on signal-to-noise ratios when available, and on the published catalog estimate otherwise. Our modeling error originates from the variance of travel-time residuals for our 1-D China model. We calculate propagation path correction surfaces for 74 stations in and around China, including six stations from the International Monitoring System. The statistical significance of each correction surface is evaluated using a cross-validation technique. We show relocation results for nuclear tests from the Balapan and Lop Nor test sites, and for earthquakes located using interferometric synthetic aperture radar. These examples show that the use of propagation path correction surfaces in regional relocations eliminates distance bias in the residual curves and significantly improves the accuracy and precision of seismic event locations.     

The high latitude convection response to an interval of substorm activity

On 17 March 1991, five clear substorm onsets/intensifications took place within a three hour interval. During this interval ground-based data from the EISCAT incoherent scatter radar, a digital CCD all sky camera, and an extensive array of magnetometers were available, in addition to data from the CRRES and DMSP spacecraft, whose footprints passed over Scandinavia very close to most of the ground-based instrumentation. This interval of substorm activity has been interpreted as being in support of a near-Earth current disruption model of substorm onset. In the present study the ionospheric convection response, observed some four hours to the west in MLT by the Halley HF radar in Antarctica, is related to the growth, expansion and recovery phases of two of the substorm onsets/expansions observed in the Northern Hemisphere. Bursts of ionospheric flow and motion of the convection reversal boundary (CRB) are observed at Halley in response to the substorm activity and changes in the IMF. The delay between the substorm expansion phase onset and the response in the CRB location is dependent on the local time separation from, and latitude of, the initial substorm onset region. These results are interpreted in terms of a synthesis of the very near-Earth current disruption model and the near-Earth neutral line model of substorm onset.     

New fumarolic activity on Mt. Baker: observations during April through July, 1975

On 10 March, 1975, large amounts of steam were first sighted coming from the Sherman Crater of Mt. Baker, long the site of mild fumarole activity. To document and evaluate the new activity, we conducted a series of aerial and ground-based observations and experiments including the collection of samples within the crater, installation of 35-mm automatic sequence cameras at Park and Anderson Buttes, and overflights with a mapping camera and infrared scanner. Significant changes characterizing the new activity are: development of a new, energetic fumarole in an area of earlier mild activity; growth of crevasses within and concentric to the crater walls; collapse of a central 70 m diameter plug of ice to form a warm lake; and ejection of tephra rich in analcite and sulfides from the new fumarole. Although the tephra contains minor amounts of unaltered glass, it does not differ in this or other respects from material collected from the west crater wall, where fumaroles have long been active. This suggests that the glass is older tephra derived from the fumarole vent walls.Weather and lighting conditions were such that the Park Butte sequence camera provided acceptable images of the crater area on 27% of the frames for the period 1825 Pacific Daylight Time June 5 to 1825 PDT August 2. Of these, 8% show a significant plume (>300 m above the vent). Large plumes occur during favorable weather conditions of low wind and high relative humidity, and all appear white.While there are abundant manifestations of increased heat emission from Sherman Crater, there is as yet no sign of a fundamental change in the style of activity, or that the rise of fresh magma is the cause.     

Snow accumulation distribution inferred from time‐lapse photography and simple modelling

The spatial and temporal distribution of snow accumulation is complex and significantly influences the hydrological characteristics of mountain catchments. Many snow redistribution processes, such as avalanching, slushflow or wind drift, are controlled by topography, but their modelling remains challenging. In situ measurements of snow accumulation are laborious and generally have a coarse spatial or temporal resolution. In this respect, time‐lapse photography shows itself as a powerful tool for collecting information at relatively low cost and without the need for direct field access. In this paper, the snow accumulation distribution of an Alpine catchment is inferred by adjusting a simple snow accumulation model combined with a temperature index melt model to match the modelled melt‐out pattern evolution to the pattern monitored during an ablation season through terrestrial oblique photography. The comparison of the resulting end‐of‐winter snow water equivalent distribution with direct measurements shows that the achieved accuracy is comparable with that obtained with an inverse distance interpolation of the point measurements. On average over the ablation season, the observed melt‐out pattern can be reproduced correctly in 93% of the area visible from the fixed camera. The relations between inferred snow accumulation distribution and topographic variables indicate large scatter. However, a significant correlation with local slope is found and terrain curvature is detected as a factor limiting the maximal snow accumulation. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A calibrated,non-invasive method for measuring the internal interface height field at high resolution in the rotating,two-layer annulus

We describe a remote sensing method for measuring the internal interface height field in a rotating, two-layer annulus laboratory experiment. The method is non-invasive, avoiding the possibility of an interaction between the flow and the measurement device. The height fields retrieved are accurate and highly resolved in both space and time. The technique is based on a flow visualization method developed by previous workers, and relies upon the optical rotation properties of the working liquids. The previous methods returned only qualitative interface maps, however. In the present study, a technique is developed for deriving quantitative maps by calibrating height against the colour fields registered by a camera which views the flow from above. We use a layer-wise torque balance analysis to determine the equilibrium interface height field analytically, in order to derive the calibration curves. With the current system, viewing an annulus of outer radius 125?mm and depth 250?mm from a distance of 2?m, the inferred height fields have horizontal, vertical and temporal resolutions of up to 0.2?mm, 1?mm and 0.04?s, respectively.     

The potential information in the temperature difference between shadow and sunlit of surfaces and a new way of retrieving the soil moisture

The thermal inertia and plant water stress index are often adopted to estimate soil moisture available for crops or plants. However, it is not very easy to obtain two temporal temperatures for thermal inertia model and air temperature for the plant water stress mode. Shadows of ground objects are often referred to noise on visible and near infrared remote sensing. But the difference of temperature between shadows and sunlit contains rich information concerning with heat-water status for soil. This paper presented a new way to excavate just by temperature difference usually between shadow and sunlit surface. Experiments validated the ideal. We can adopt thermal camera to measure the differences in the field measurements. However, we must use inversion based on multianglar thermal infrared remote sensing data in airborne and spaceborne. An inverting model was also presented by using Monte-Carlo and the least square method. Results show that this way is feasible.