A REMOTE SENSING METHOD FOR DETERMINING HEAT FLUX AT THE OCEAN-ATMOSPHERE BOUNDARY LAYER

Results of experiments in the measurement of heat flux at the ocean-atmosphere boundary layer are described. More specifically, an algorithm is presented for the calculation of the different components of total heat flux (from the ocean into the atmosphere) based on estimates of water temperature, wind velocity, and cloud cover obtained from remote sensing imagery. Use of the algorithm yields values for total heat flux which, when averaged over a ten-day period, are only 10% less accurate than those obtained according to traditional methods (research vessels, buoys, offshore platforms). Translated from: Izvestiya vysshykh uchebnykh zavedeniy, Geodezlya i aerofotos”yemka, 1986, No. 5, pp. 117-120.     

SEASONAL CHANGES IN THE SPECTRAL REFLECTANCE OF PASTURE GRASSES IN THE IDENTIFICATION OF AREAS OF VARIABLE DRAINAGE EFFICIENCY

Spectral reflectances of artificial pastures are examined at various wavelengths and stages in the grazing/field work cycle to identify inadequately drained, marginally productive sites. Mesophytic pasture grasses and crops on well-drained sites are replaced by more hygrophytic species on poorly drained sites (each group with distinctive brightness values). This relationship, plus less significant spectral differences reflecting grazing intensity and soil moisture content at particular points in time, provided a methodological basis for the study. Poorly drained pastures are most reliably identified in the infrared and visible green portions of the spectrum during the middle of the grazing season. Translated from: Geografiya I prirodnyye resursy, 1988, No. 1, pp. 134-139.     

THE READABILITY OF THE MAP: THEORETICAL PRINCIPLES

An effort is made at developing a theory of map readability, defined as the process of the user's representation of the information of the map in his/her own mind. This can be estimated quantitatively by surrogate measures, which include the speed of map comprehension and accuracy of map interpretation. Levels of psychological representation of map information are incorporated to determine at what stage particular aspects of map knowledge are understood. Thus what readability entails, and the approaches used to measure it (what types of things are comprehended, how fast, and how accurately) will depend upon the level of representation. Translated from: Vestnik Leningradskogo Universiteta, seriya 7 [geologiya, geografiya], 1988, No. 1, pp. 32-37.     

EXPERIENCE IN COMPILING LARGE-SCALE MAPS OF EROSION-PRONE AREAS

Specific criteria used in the compilation of large-scale maps of erosion-prone areas are defined and evaluated for tracts of land representing a number of different agricultural cover types. Formulas are derived which facilitate the mapping of such areas based on such readily observable morphometric characteristics as slope length and steepness. Translated by Edward Torrey, Alexandria, VA 22308 from: Vestnik Moskovskogo Universiteta, geografiya, 1988, No. 5, pp. 25-31.     

THE PRESENT STATE OF ECOSYSTEMS IN MONGOLIA: PRINCIPLES OF EVALUATION AND MAPPING

This paper explores how such characteristics as the polarization of reflected radiation, the angular characteristics of its reflectance, and its thermal properties can be used to supplement conventional remote sensing studies of the condition of the vegetation cover. One possible application is clarified by means of an experiment testing the relationship between the degree of polarization of radiation reflected from cultivated cotton fields and the condition of the crop in those fields. Empirical data demonstrate that changes in the geometric structure of (and reflectance from) fields occurs when cultivated plants are subjected to stress (disease or moisture deprivation). Translated by Edward Torrey, Alexandria, VA 22308 from: L. N. Vasil'yev, ed., Kosmicheskiye metody izucheniya biosfery [Remote Sensing Methods in the Study of the Biosphere]. Moscow: Nauka, 1990, pp. 77–82.     

COMPUTATION AND MAPPING OF THE ELEMENTS OF THE WATER-ICE BUDGET OF GLACIERS

Two general approaches for compiling maps of components of the water-ice budget in regions of glacier nourishment are compared and the resulting maps are analyzed. The compilation of raw data is based on field measurements rather than remote sensing information. Translated by Edward Torrey, Alexandria, VA 22308 from: Materialy glyatsiologicheskikh issledovaniy, 1991, No. 72, pp. 94-102.     

ECOLOGICAL-GEOGRAPHIC MAPPING: CONCEPTS,METHODS, AND TECHNOLOGY

Another paper in a series of articles on ecological-geographic mapping (see for example, Mapping Sciences and Remote Sensing, Vol. 31, No. 3, July-September 1994, pp. 185-220) focuses on outlining a concise typology of such maps and providing a brief history of their emergence during the 1970s and 1980s. A subsequent section is devoted to methods and technology used in the compilation of ecological-geographic maps, particularly the multiple variants of data organization, processing, and cartographic representation that can be factored into research design. Translated by Edward Torrey, Alexandria, VA 22308 from: Geografiya i prirodnyye resursy, 1995, No. 4, pp. 10-18.     

Predicting agricultural drought in eastern Rajasthan of India using NDVI and standardized precipitation index

In the present study, prediction of agricultural drought has been addressed through prediction of agricultural yield using a model based on NDVI-SPI. It has been observed that the meteorological drought index SPI with different timescale is correlated with NDVI at different lag. Also NDVI of current fortnight is correlated with NDVI of previous lags. Based on the correlation coefficients, the Multiple Regression Model was developed to predict NDVI. The NDVI of current fortnight was found highly correlated with SPI of previous fortnight in semi-arid and transitional zones. The correlation between NDVI and crop yield was observed highest in first fortnight of August. The RMSE of predicted yield in drought year was found to be about 17.07 kg/ha which was about 6.02 per cent of average yield. In normal year, it was 24 kg/Ha denoting about 2.1 per cent of average yield.     

Field Measurements of Plant Emissivity Spectra: An Experimental Study on Remote Sensing of Vegetation in the Thermal Infrared Region

Spectral features of plant species in the visible to SWIR (0.4–2.5 μm) region have been studied extensively, but scanty attention has been given to plant thermal infrared (TIR: 4–14 μm) properties. This paper presents preliminary results of a study that was conducted first time in India to measure radiance and emissivity properties of eight plant species in TIR spectral region in the field conditions using a FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared) field spectroradiometer working in 4–14 μm at an agriculture experimental farm. Several spectral features in the emissivity spectra of plant species were observed that are probably related to the leaf chemical constituents, such as cellulose and xylan (hemicellulose) and structural aspects of leaf surface like abundance of trichomes and texture. Observations and results from the field measurements were supported by the laboratory measurements like biochemical analysis. These preliminary field emissivity measurements of leaves in TIR show that there is useful spectral information that may be detectable by field-based instrument. More detailed field and laboratory measurements are underway to explore this research theme.