1. EG2211 Earth Observation Applications of Remote sensing

2. TOPICS Quantitative remote sensing Rainfall estimation Land surface temperature Proxy air temperature NDVI, albedo, wind-speed and others Disaster Management Human Health Hydrodynamics

3. Quantitative remote sensing? Estimation of a physical quantity Proxy environmental variables Application driven Less science and more operational Makes use of algorithms Interfaces with environmental models

4. Applications that use quantitative RS Agriculture – NDVI, temperature, rainfall Health – NDVI, temperature, rainfall, dust, wind Hydrology – Rainfall Climate change – NDVI, temperature, rainfall Weather forecasting – Winds, rainfall

5. Rainfall estimation Cold Cloud Duration (CCD) using Meteosat Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission using radar (TRMM) Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/I) rainfall measurement using microwave instruments

6. Rainfall estimation Pioneered by work of Lethbridge, 1967 Became an operational system thanks to Milford and Dugdale at TAMSAT (University of Reading) Based on relationship between period during which convective cloud tops are below a specific threshold and rainfall measured beneath them Cold Cloud Duration (CCD):

7. Rainfall estimation TRMM mission is a joint US/Japan effort coordinated by NASDA (National Space Development Agency of Japan) TRMM was launched in 1997 – with an initial mission life of 3 years TRMM data is relayed to NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM):

8. Rainfall estimation Precipitation Radar (PR) TRMM Microwave Imager (TMI) Visible and Infrared Scanner (VIRS) Clouds and the Earth’s Radiant Energy System (CERES) Lightning Image Sensor (LIS) Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM):

9. Rainfall estimation System coordinated by NOAA Became operational in 1987 Uses a 7-channel passive microwave radiometer Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/I):

10. Rainfall estimation Data collected from the SSM/I are used to estimate several geophysical parameters including: Rainfall Rate Rainfall Frequency Cloud Liquid Water Cloudiness Frequency Total Precipitable Water Snow Cover Sea-Ice Sampling Frequency Ocean Surface Wind Speed (1.0 degree only!) Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/I):

11. Land Surface Temperature Thermal infrared images provide an estimate of the magnitude of radiant energy Radiance (usually expressed as watts per square metre) can be converted to temperature via an instrument-specific algorithm Energy (and hence temperature) is of the land surface (LST) LST may be converted to a proxy air temperature by means of a solar correction algorithm

12. Other quantitative measurements NDVI Albedo Wind speed Potential Evapotranspiration (PET) Soil moisture Tropospheric humidity

13. NDVI Monitoring Habitat modelling Hydrology

14. VISIBLE Albedo Weather Fcst.

15. WATER VAPOUR Cloud motion Troposphere

16. Disaster Management Uses of RS for Disaster Management WildfiresVolcanic eruptions AvalancheTsunami EarthquakeLandslides FloodingExtreme weather DroughtDisease RefugeesMilitary

17. Disaster Management Disaster Management PLANNING MITIGATIONLEARNING

18. Disaster Management PLANNINGMITIGATION Modelling Assessment Prediction Contingency Monitoring situations Deployment of resources Decision-making Public relations COST EFFECTIVENESS !!!

20. QuickBird used extensively throughout Asian Tsunami Disaster

21. Human Health Health and disease often has a spatial component Climatic, environmental and socio-economic variables affect health Epidemics and outbreaks spread across a region – either as a function of movement of people or environmental factors

22. Human Health Many countries are vulnerable to diseases directly influenced by the environment Vector-borne diseases (like malaria) Respiratory illnesses (like meningitis) Water-borne diseases (like cholera) Stress illnesses (heat-stroke or hypothermia) Illnesses caused by “mechanical” effects of extreme weather events

25. Hydrodynamics stream river estuary THE SEA

26. Hydrodynamics From DeMers, 2002

27. Hydrodynamics From DeMers, 2002

28. Case Studies Until mid-February we will be examining specific case studies where RS is used Case studies will be: – Agriculture – Weather Forecasting – Human Health – Disaster Management and Emergencies

29. Case Studies Lecture session will provide basic material related to topic – but groups will have to prepare their own material and presentations for the workshop Everybody will be assigned to a case-study group and will have to turn up to one workshop session following the lecture

30. Case Studies – Timetable TopicLecture/workshop Week beginning Agriculture22/1/2007 Weather forecasting 29/1/2007 Human health5/2/2007 Disasters12/2/2007

31. Case Studies – Timetable You will ALL have to attend the second hour (workshop) covering each topic. You will have to take notes from the other groups presenting and record their literature references Workshops will be based around Q&A sessions (questions from YOU) and a short group presentation

32. Further Reading Cresswell MP, Morse AP, Thomson MC and Connor SJ. (1999). Estimating surface air temperatures from Meteosat land surface temperatures using an empirical solar zenith angle model. International Journal of Remote Sensing, Vol 20 (6), 1125-1132. Lethbridge M. (1967). Precipitation probability and satellite radiation data. Monthly Weather Review, Vol 95 (7), 487-490 Milford J and Dugdale G. (1990). Estimation of rainfall using geostationary satellite data. In Applications of Remote Sensing in Agriculture. Edited by Steven M and Clark J. Published by Butterworths, London Dugdale G, Hardy S and Milford J. (1991). Daily catchment rainfall estimated from Meteosat. Hydrological Processes, Vol 5, 261-270

33. Further Reading TRMM Website: http://www.eorc.nasda.go.jp/TRMM/index_e.htm SSM/I Website: http://orbit-net.nesdis.noaa.gov/arad2/ TAMSAT (CCD Rainfall) Website: http://www.met.reading.ac.uk/tamsat/