Plowing paradise: snow clearing and urban solar radiation absorption

Abstract

Urban heat islands result from human modification of land surfaces. Snow cover reduces heating due to its reflectivity; however, urban snow is quickly plowed, thus altering surface radiative properties. The goal of this study was to evaluate the extent to which municipal snow removal affects the magnitude of solar input associated with changes in the radiation balance. Incoming and reflected shortwave radiation, surface radiating temperature, air temperature, and snow depth were measured with portable devices at eight sites in Syracuse, New York. Sites were classified as cleared, undisturbed, or snow piles. Measurements were taken following fresh snowfall, and continuing until snow had melted. A HOBO weather station provided hourly baseline conditions. Longevity of snow varied across snow site types, with greater persistence when in piles and on open areas. Albedo was reduced and surface temperatures were higher over cleared areas. The difference between absorbed energy due to clearing was quantified using an albedo regression model for undisturbed sites and comparing these to average reflectivity of cleared surfaces. The magnitude difference over the study period ranged from 841 million to 1670 million MJ. Snow plowing is therefore a significant source of additional energy that enhances the winter urban heat island.     

Model simulations of the annual cycle of the landfast ice thickness in the East Siberian Sea

The annual cycle of the thickness and temperature of landfast sea ice in the East Siberian Sea has been examined using a one-dimensional thermodynamic model. The model was calibrated for the year Augus...     

面向应用需求的星载多光谱相机指标设置探讨

卫星研制和应用相互脱节是卫星数据质量无法有效满足应用需求的重要原因之一,如果不进行调整,将制约国产卫星数据的推广应用。在影响卫星数据质量的诸多因素中,其载荷相机的指标设置是核心和关键,因其决定了所获取数据的可应用范围及效益。在对国内外卫星载荷指标设置系统调研分析的基础上,根据国内用户对数据的使用情况,以地质矿产应用需求为主,兼顾土地、环保、农业、林业以及减灾等行业应用需求,就用户关心的相机谱段范围、空间分辨率、图像幅宽及重访周期等可见光/近红外多光谱相机基本指标设置提出了建议,旨在为相机的研制提供应用支撑。     

利用AMSR-E数据反演华北平原冬小麦单散射反照率

首先,基于冬小麦不同生育期的地面实测参数,构建了组成冬小麦冠层的、包括不同尺寸和含水量的介电散射体模拟数据库,并在此基础上建立冬小麦单散射反照率和光学厚度分别在C(6.925 GHz)和X(10.65 GHz)波段之间的依赖关系。然后,根据一阶参数化模型推导得到的微波植被指数MVIs(Microwave Vegetation Indices)的物理表达式,结合AMSR-E被动微波亮温数据,反演了华北平原地区冬小麦不同生育期的单散射反照率。与MODIS日归一化差异植被指数NDVI的对比结果显示:冬小麦单散射反照率与NDVI随时间的变化趋势大致相同,但在冬小麦的抽穗期到乳熟期,NDVI呈现饱和趋势,而单散射反照率对小麦的生长变化仍旧比较敏感,在指示冬小麦生长方面具有一定优势。     

利用多角度POLDER偏振资料实现陆地上空大气气溶胶光学厚度和地表反照率的同时反演 II. 实例分析

由于陆地地表反照率的复杂性,陆地上空气溶胶的反演一直是卫星对地观测的一个难点,针对这个难点,作者提出联合利用偏振反射率和总反射率提取陆地上空大气气溶胶光学厚度和地表反照率及其区域分布的反演方案,提出了利用NCEP资料订正由海拔高度引起的Rayleigh散射变化的具体方法,并利用POLDER（POLarization and Directionality of Earth's Reflectance）的LEVEL-1B资料进行实际反演计算,给出中国华北地区气溶胶光学厚度和地表反照率的区域分布。反演结果与地基观测进行了对比验证分析,结果表明,综合利用标量辐射和偏振信息的可以实现区域乃至全球尺度的大气气溶胶和地表反照率的定量反演。     

Snow Albedo’s Dependence on Solar Zenith Angle from In Situ and MODIS Data

Since snow cover is one of the fastest modi- fications to the land surface albedo, the treatment of snow-covered surface albedo is important for the simulation of land processes in weather and climate models. A simple formulation is developed here to represent the solar zenith angle (SZA) dependence of albedo under maximum snow cover condition on the basis of Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function (BRDF) algorithm. The SZA dependence of black-sky (or direct) albedo is weaker under snow condition than that under snow-free condition, and it does not differ much among different vegetation types. The blue-sky albedo (or combined albedo from direct and diffuse radiations) based on the above formulation and in situ diffuse ratio of solar radiation is consistent with in situ data from two Canadian sites (grassland and evergreen needleleaf forest) and one U.S. grassland site. In particular, the SZA dependence of blue-sky snow albedo is almost always weak because of high diffuse ratios for high SZA in winter. With the snow albedo formulation from this study and snow-free albedo formulations from the authors’ previous studies, albedos with partial snow cover can be obtained as the snow fraction-weighted average of snow and snow-free albedos. Citation: Wang, Z., and X. Zeng, 2008: Snow albedo’s dependence on solar zenith angle from in situ and MODIS data, Atmos. Oceanic Sci. Lett., 1, 45-50     

青藏高原三江源区退化草地生态系统的地表反照率特征

为了揭示青藏高原三江源区草地退化对生态系统地表反照率的影响,利用2006年12月至2007年11月一整年的观测数据,分析了地表反照率的季和日变化特征及其影响因子。退化草地生态系统的年均地表反照率为0.22,生长季(5～9月)的平均地表反照率为0.18,非生长季为0.25。在植物生长初期的5月,地表反照率主要受土壤水分影响,5月末至6月初出现全年最低值;植物生长旺季的7～8月,受植被的影响地表反照率相对较稳定,并略高于生长季中其它各月。地表反照率的日变化呈"U"型,阴天的地表反照率高于晴天。全年地表反照率出现的最大频率集中在0.20附近,非生长季在0.22附近,生长季在0.18附近。退化草地生态系统生长季地表反照率的变化受土壤水分和植被的的影响,而非生长季受积雪的影响较大。     

ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PLANETARY AND SURFACE ALBEDO:MODEL''''S COMPARISON AND VALIDATION

The simple linear relationship between clear-sky planetary and surface albedo can be adopted forcertain accuracy.There are different parameterization schemes of atmospheric correction for differentretrieval models.In this paper,several representative retrieval models are compared and tested withobservational data from HEIhe basin Field Experiment (HEIFE) in western China.Some evaluationsand suggestions on improvement are proposed for models which would be more applicable to plateauand arid areas.     

黑河实验区的地表反射率与植被指数

本文利用1988年9月黑河地区地气相互作用观测实验研究预试验期NOAA-AVHRR资料讨论了从晴天行星反射率推算地表反射率的方法,分析了与水、热收支有密切关系的下垫面参数——地表反射率与植被指数的分布特征及它们之间的经验关系。     

植被层对被动微波遥感土壤水分反演影响的研究

在很多对土壤水分被动微波遥感的研究中 ,为简单起见 ,覆盖的植被层使用了一种简单的模型来表征其散射和衰减特性。本文中使用了一种基于辐射传输理论的离散模型来研究植被的发射率、传输率。这种方法可以更加真实地刻划组成植被的散射个体如叶、茎、树枝、树干等对这两个参数的影响 ,因而能更准确地描述植被对下垫面的影响。为了减少土壤水分反演算法中未知量的数目 ,该文给出了这两个参数的模拟结果分别在AMSR E三种不同频率下的简单关系。