A four-component decomposition of POLSAR images based on the coherency matrix

A four-component decomposition scheme of the coherency matrix is presented here for the analysis of polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images. The coherency matrix is used to deal with nonreflection symmetric scattering case, which is an extension of covariance matrix approach. The same decomposition results have been obtained. The advantage of this approach is explicit expressions of four scattering powers in terms of scattering matrix elements, which serve the interpretation of polarimetric SAR data quantitatively.     

Supervised SAR Image MPM Segmentation Based on Region-Based Hierarchical Model

This letter presents a novel method of supervised multiresolution segmentation for synthetic aperture radar images. The method uses a region-based half-tree hierarchical Markov random field model for multiresolution segmentation. To form the region-based multilayer model, the watershed algorithm is employed at each resolution level independently. The nodes of a quadtree in the proposed model are defined as regions instead of pixels. The relationship over scale is studied, and the region-based upward and downward maximization of posterior marginal estimations are deduced. The experimental results for the segmentation of homogeneous areas prove the region-based model much better in terms of robustness to speckle and preservation of edges compared to the pixel-based hierarchical model and the Gibbs sampler with the single-resolution model     

Estimation and comparison of leaf area index of agricultural crops using irs liss-III and EO-1 hyperion images

Motivated by the increasingly availability and importance of hyperspectral remote sensing data, this study aims to determine whether current generation narrowband hyperspectral remote sensing data could be used to estimate vegetation Leaf Area Index (LAI) accurately than the traditional broadband multispectral data. A comparative study has been carried out to evaluate the performance of the narrowband Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDV1) derived from Hyperion hyperspectral sensor with that of derived from IRS LISS-III for the estimation of LAI of some major agricultural crops (e.g. cotton, sugarcane and rice) in part of Guntur district, India. It has been found that the narrowband NDVI derived from Hyperion has shown better results over its counterpart derived from broadband LISS-III. Linear regression models have been used which with selected subsets of individual Hyperion bands performed better to predict LAI than those based on the broadband datasets, although the potential to overfit models using the large number of available Hyperion bands is a concern for further research.     

Upscaling: Effective Medium Theory, Numerical Methods and the Fractal Dream

Upscaling is a major issue regarding mechanical and transport properties of rocks. This paper examines three issues relative to upscaling. The first one is a brief overview of Effective Medium Theory (EMT), which is a key tool to predict average rock properties at a macroscopic scale in the case of a statistically homogeneous medium. EMT is of particular interest in the calculation of elastic properties. As discussed in this paper, EMT can thus provide a possible way to perform upscaling, although it is by no means the only one, and in particular it is irrelevant if the medium does not adhere to statistical homogeneity. This last circumstance is examined in part two of the paper. We focus on the example of constructing a hydrocarbon reservoir model. Such a construction is a required step in the process of making reasonable predictions for oil production. Taking into account rock permeability, lithological units and various structural discontinuities at different scales is part of this construction. The result is that stochastic reservoir models are built that rely on various numerical upscaling methods. These methods are reviewed. They provide techniques which make it possible to deal with upscaling on a general basis. Finally, a last case in which upscaling is trivial is considered in the third part of the paper. This is the fractal case. Fractal models have become popular precisely because they are free of the assumption of statistical homogeneity and yet do not involve numerical methods. It is suggested that using a physical criterion as a means to discriminate whether fractality is a dream or reality would be more satisfactory than relying on a limited data set alone.     

Site Response and Earthquake Design Spectra for Central Khartoum, Sudan

Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, is located at the confluence of White and Blue Niles. The city is heavily populated. Central Khartoum with its high-rise buildings is the center of governmental and business activities and is located on a strip adjacent to the Blue Nile. Geological and geotechnical data indicate that the subsoil conditions at Central Khartoum are characterized by alluvial deposits underlain by Nubian Sandstone at a depth of 25 m. The alluvial deposits, locally known as Gezira formations, consist of clays grading into silt and sand with depth. Macro seismic zonation of Sudan and its vicinities, developed by the authors, gave the ground acceleration at the bedrock surface. The effect of alluvial deposits in Central Khartoum on propagation of seismic motion parameters to the ground surface is investigated in this study. Correlations are proposed for pertinent cyclic soil properties such as shear modulus, damping, and shear wave velocity. The Equivalent-Linear Earthquake Response Analyses (EERA) Model was used to study the effect of local soil conditions on ground-motion parameters. In the absence of strong-motion records in Khartoum, available worldwide strong-motion records are used. Plots showing the time histories of ground motion parameters at the ground surface are obtained. The results indicate amplification of ground motion of up to 4.93. The predicted fundamental period of soils is about 0.5 s which is typical for these types of soils. The maximum spectral acceleration varied from 0.76 to 0.95 g. For design purposes, a response spectrum curve is proposed.     

The kinetic energy budget of Asian summer monsoon

Summary The kinetic energy budget of the Asian summer monsoon is examined making use of the daily averaged (0000 and 1200 UTC) reanalysis data for forty-year (1960–99) period produced by the National Centres for Environmental Prediction-National Centre for Atmospheric Research (NCEP-NCAR). Especially, the features associated with evolution and established phases of the monsoon are elucidated. Some features are typical during both phases. The lower tropospheric balance is governed by adiabatic generation and frictional dissipation. On the other hand, the upper tropospheric balance is regulated by adiabatic generation and flux divergence. The adiabatic generation of kinetic energy within the boundary layer is mostly due to the meridional component. Contrasting characteristics during both phases are summarized as follows. Subtropical westerly jet controls the balance of kinetic energy during the evolution period. On the other hand, Tropical easterly jet and Somali jet modulate the balance during the established period. The adiabatic generation of kinetic energy is predominantly driven by the zonal component during the evolution phase and by the meridional component during the established phase of monsoon, respectively. This aspect essentially delineates the roles of zonal and meridional regimes during the evolution and established phases of the monsoon.     

Validation of a homogeneous 41-year (1961–2001) winter precipitation hindcasted dataset over the Iberian Peninsula: assessment of the regional improvement of global reanalysis

A 44-year (1958–2001) homogeneous, Mediterranean, high-resolution atmospheric database was generated through dynamical downscaling within the HIPOCAS (Hindcast of Dynamic Processes of the Ocean and Coastal Areas of Europe) Project framework. This work attempts to provide a validation of the monthly winter HIPOCAS precipitation over the Iberian Peninsula and the Balearic Islands and to evaluate the potential improvement of these new hindcasted data versus global reanalysis datasets. The validation was performed through the comparative analysis with a precipitation database derived from 4,617 in situ stations located over Iberia and the Balearics. The statistical comparative analysis between the observed and the HIPOCAS fields highlights their very good agreement not only in terms of spatial and time distribution, but also in terms of total amount of precipitation. A principal component analysis is carried out, showing that the patterns derived from the HIPOCAS data largely capture the main characteristics of the observed field. Moreover, it is worth to note that the HIPOCAS patterns reproduce accurately the observed regional characteristics linked to the main orographic features of the study domain. The existence of high correlations between the hindcasted and observed principal component time series gives a measure of the model performance ability. An additional comparative study of the HIPOCAS winter precipitation with global reanalysis data (NCEP and ERA) is performed. This study reveals the important regional improvement in the characterization of the observed precipitation introduced by the HIPOCAS hindcast relative to the above global reanalyses. Such improvement is effective not only in terms of total amount values, but also in the spatial distribution, the observed field being much more realistically reproduced by HIPOCAS than by the global reanalysis data.     

Aerosol optical depth, physical properties and radiative forcing over the Arabian Sea

Summary The Arabian Sea region (4° N–20° N to 50° E–78° E) has a unique weather pattern on account of the Indian monsoon and the associated winds that reverse direction seasonally. The aerosol data, collected using ship-borne and island platforms (for 8 years from 1995 to 2002) along with MODIS (onboard TERRA satellite) data (from 2000 to 2003) have been used to evolve a comprehensive characterisation of the spatial and temporal variation in the physical, chemical, and radiative properties of aerosols over the Arabian Sea. The aerosol optical depth (AOD) was found to increase with latitude between the equator and 12° N. Over the northern Arabian Sea (regions lying north of 12° N), AODs do not show significant latitudinal variations; the average aerosol optical depth for this region was 0.29±0.12 during winter monsoon season (WMS; November to March) and 0.47±0.14 during summer monsoon season (SMS; April/May to September). The corresponding Angstrom exponents were 0.7±0.12 and 0.3±0.08, respectively. The low values of the exponent during SMS indicate the dominance of large aerosols (mainly dust particles >1 μm). The latitudinal gradient in AOD in the southern Arabian Sea is larger during SMS compared to WMS. The size distribution of aerosols shows two well-defined modes, one in the accumulation size regime and the other in the coarse size regime. During WMS, a third mode (nucleation) also appears in the sub micron range below ∼0.1 μm. The single scattering albedo does not show significant seasonal variations (remains within ∼0.93 to 0.98 through out the year). During WMS (SMS), top of the atmosphere diurnally averaged aerosol forcing remains around −6.1 (−14.3)W m⁻² over the northern Arabian Sea up to around 12° N and decreases southwards till it attains a value of −3.8 (−3.4)W m⁻² at the equator. The surface forcing remains around −16.2(−15.2)W m⁻² over the northern Arabian Sea up to 12° N and decreases southwards to a value of −5.5 (−3.5)W m⁻² at the equator. Over the north Arabian Sea, instantaneous forcing (flux change) at the surface can be as high as −50 W m⁻². The instantaneous forcing decreases with latitude in the southern Arabian Sea at a rate of ∼3 W m⁻²deg⁻¹.     

The relationship between lightning activity and surface wet bulb temperature and its variation with latitude in Australia

Summary Convective Available Potential Energy (CAPE) is the driving force for thunderstorm development. CAPE is closely controlled by wet bulb temperature. The lightning activity measured by a network of ten lightning flash counters widely distributed across continental Australia was studied as a function of wet bulb temperature. At each of the stations, the monthly total of lightning ground flashes, N, increased sharply with the increase of the monthly mean daily maximum wet bulb temperature, T_w, max. The dependence was strongest in the tropics and became less pronounced at temperate latitudes. In Darwin (latitude 12° S), the lightning ground flash activity increased by over three orders of magnitude over a 7 °C range of T_w, max. The corresponding increases for Coffs Harbour (latitude 30° S) and for Melbourne (latitude 38° S) were about one and a half orders of magnitude and about half an order of magnitude, respectively, each over a 10 °C range of T_w, max. Power law approximations were derived for each of the ten stations and showed that the logarithm of N was directly proportional to the power, P, of T_w, max. The value of P showed a sharp exponential decrease with increasing latitude away from the equator.