New strategy to improve estimation of diffuse attenuation coefficient for highly turbid inland waters

The diffuse attenuation coefficient, K_d(λ), is an important water optical property. Detection of K_d(λ) by means of remote sensing can provide significant assistance in understanding water environment conditions and many biogeochemical processes. Even when existing algorithms exhibit good performance in clear open ocean and turbid coastal waters, accurate quantification of highly turbid inland water bodies can still be a challenge due to their bio-optical complexity. In this study, we examined the performance of two typical pre-existing K_d(490) models in inland water bodies from Lake Taihu, Lake Chaohu, and the Three Gorges Reservoir in China. On the basis of water optical classification, new K_d(490) models were developed for these waters by means of the support vector machine approach. The obtained results showed that the two pre-existing K_d(490) models presented relatively large errors by comparison with the new models, with mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) values above ~30%. More importantly, among the new models, type-specific models generally outperformed the aggregated model. For water classified as Type 1 + Type 2, the type-specific model produced validation errors with MAPE = 16.8% and RMSE = 0.98 m^?1. For water classified as Type 3, the MAPE and RMSE of the type-specific model were found to be 18.8% and 1.85 m^?1, respectively. The findings in this study demonstrate that water classification (prior to algorithm development) is needed for the development of excellent K_d(490) retrieval algorithms, and the type-specific models thus developed are an important supplement to existing K_d(490) retrieval models for highly turbid inland waters.     

Near‐noon albedo values of alfalfa and tall fescue grass derived from multispectral data

A remote sensing approach was applied to estimate near‐noon values of shortwave albedo (α), the fraction of solar radiation reflected by a surface, for alfalfa and tall fescue grass at Kimberly, Idaho. The approach was based on the (P/T) ratio, which is the ratio of the partial radiation (P) sensed by a multi‐band radiometer and the total incident radiation (T) in a given wavelength range. It was found that instead of being constant, as previously suggested, the upward component of the (P/T) ratio under clear‐sky conditions [(P/T)_u] followed a logistic growth function of solar altitude angle (Λ_z) for both crops (r ² = 0.84). The downward component [(P/T)_d], on the other hand, linearly increased with Λ_z (r ² = 0.83). By applying the (P/T) ratio methodology, using variable ratios, it was found that the diurnal pattern of clear‐sky α for both crops followed a decreasing function of Λ_z (r ² = 0.80). Near‐noon α values for alfalfa estimated using remote sensing were linearly related to plant canopy height (h) (r ² = 0.92), but not to Λ_z. For grass, on the other hand, the near‐noon α values obtained by remote sensing were not correlated with either h or Λ_z. The near‐noon α values for alfalfa obtained with remote sensing deviated considerably from those estimated using an empirical function of day of the year (DOY). For alfalfa, the near‐noon net radiation (R _n) values calculated using α values derived by remote sensing were better correlated to measured R _n values than those obtained using α estimated as a function of DOY. For grass, the α values derived from remote sensing did not significantly improve the accuracy of the calculated near‐noon R _n compared with using α values estimated as a function of Λ_z.     

利用MODIS数据估计中国黄东海区域测深参数

目的 现有关于漫衰减系数的研究大多是在490 nm波段建立反演模型,且未将相关研究与机载激光雷达测深能力建立联系,本文尝试获取测深参数532 nm漫衰减系数K_d(532)和透明度SD(Secchi disk depth),为机载双色激光雷达测深能力的评估和飞行方案的制定提供了重要技术参数。方法 首先分析了测深参数532 nm漫衰减系数K_d(532)和透明度SD对于评估机载双色激光系统测深能力的重要性。利用2003年春季中国黄东海区域的实测光学数据,对现有的漫衰减系数反演模式进行改进,建立了K_d(532)和K_d(490)=的线性关系以及SD和K_d(532)的幂函数关系。结果 根据2003年春季MODIS的490 nm漫衰减系数产品和上述函数关系获取了K_d(532)和SD参数。结论 本文获取测深参数K_d(532)和SD的方法能够用来有效评估该区域机载激光雷达的测深能力,准确性和精度依赖于实测光学数据的精度、分布和数量以及MODIS的K_d(490)产品的准确性。     

Daily solar radiation from NASA-POWER product: assessing its accuracy considering atmospheric transparency

ABSTRACT

Satellite remote sensing in estimating solar energy budget components at the top of the atmosphere (TOA) level and at the terrestrial level plays a very important role in various types of applications. Solar radiation data are especially problematic because of a quite generalized lack of sufficient data in quantity and quality. Satellite images allow solving the problem of continuity or lack of solar radiation data. The objective of this work was to fit daily solar radiation from NASA-POWER (National Aeronautics and Space Administration – Prediction Of Worldwide Energy Resources), considering different intervals of atmospheric transparency index. The accuracy was assessed from the analysis of voluminous data-sets registered by meteorological ground stations, 31 in number, located in whole Spain, during the period from 2000 to 2017. Clearness index (K_T) was calculated to define nine classes of cloud cover conditions. The study reveals that the degree of correlation between the satellite data and observatory data depends upon atmospheric conditions and the correlation accuracy improves for higher values of K_T. The coefficients of determination (R²), considering all K_T values, were between 0.85 and 0.96; particularly for clear days R² = 0.96 and root-mean-square error equal to 1.78 MJ m^?2 d^?1 were obtained. Geographically, the better statistic values were located in the central region of the country. NASA-POWER shows potential to estimate solar radiation and that it is an important information resource for different applications.     

Remote sensing of the El Hierro submarine volcanic eruption plume

Submarine volcanic eruptions took place at the island El Hierro (Canary Islands) between October 2011 and March 2012. The event produced plumes of discoloured waters due to the discharge of volcanic matter, magmatic gases, and hydrothermal fluids. The expelled materials, which behaved like oceanic tracers, were detected from the site of the volcano to the open sea by remote-sensing techniques using different level-2 (L2) products of the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensor. In order to assess the effect of the anomalous turbidity, three atmospheric correction schemes were evaluated: SeaWiFS Data Analysis System (SeaDAS) standard, near-infrared–shortwave-infrared (NIR-SWIR), and Management Unit of the North Sea Mathematical Models (MUMM). The comparison between them verified that the SeaDAS standard atmospheric correction was the most suitable. The downwelling diffuse attenuation coefficient at 490 nm (K_d(490)) was used as a measure of plume intensity in comparison with other submarine volcanic eruptions. The MODIS-derived K_d(490) values verified that the intensity of the El Hierro plume was moderate. Only in some specific situations did the values barely exceed 0.4 m^–1. The remote-sensing reflectance (R_rs) was used for the characterization of the affected waters. The R_rs spectra also allowed a comparison with other volcanic and sulphide events reported in previous studies. Similarities were found, both with submarine volcanic eruptions in the southwestern Pacific and with sulphide events at the Namibian coast, in composition and properties of optically active water constituents. A classification schema based on K_d(490) values and R_rs ratios was developed and used in connection with MODIS red–green–blue (RGB) composites as well as surface current velocities from altimeter missions to investigate the spatio-temporal development of the volcanic plume. The spreading and transport of volcanic material observed at the ocean surface was caused by the predominant surface currents coupled with different mesoscale eddies. Discoloured waters were identified more than 200 km away from the eruption site. Field data from oceanographic surveys verified the high concentration of sulphur compounds in affected waters and confirmed the overestimation by the MODIS default algorithm of chlorophyll-a concentrations in the volcanic plume.     

Satellite-derived parameters for biological modelling in coastal waters: Illustration over the eastern continental shelf of the Bay of Biscay

In biological modelling of the coastal phytoplankton dynamics, the light attenuation coefficient is often expressed as a function of the concentrations of chlorophyll and mineral suspended particulate matter (SPM). In order to estimate the relationship between these parameters over the continental shelf of the northern Bay of Biscay, a set of in situ data has been gathered for the period 1998-2003 when SeaWiFS imagery is available. These data comprise surface measurements of the concentrations of total SPM, chlorophyll, and irradiance profiles from which is derived the attenuation coefficient of the photosynthetically available radiation, K_PAR. The performance of the IFREMER look-up table used to retrieve the chlorophyll concentration from the SeaWiFS radiance is evaluated on this new set of data. The quality of the estimated chlorophyll concentration is assessed from a comparison of the variograms of the in situ and satellite-derived chlorophyll concentrations. Once the chlorophyll concentration is determined, the non living SPM, which is defined as the SPM not related to the dead or alive endogenous phytoplankton, is estimated from the radiance at 555 nm by inverting a semi-analytic model. This method provides realistic estimations of concentrations of chlorophyll and SPM over the continental shelf all over the year. Finally, a relationship, based on non living SPM and chlorophyll, is proposed to estimate K_PAR on the continental shelf of the Bay of Biscay. The same formula is applied to non living SPM and chlorophyll concentrations, observed in situ or derived from SeaWiFS radiance.     

Assessing the attributes of high-density Eucalyptus globulus stands using airborne laser scanner data

This article presents an airborne Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR)-based method to extract interesting stand attributes for forest management in high-density Eucalyptus globulus Labill. plantations. An adaptive morphological filter (AMF) for classifying terrain LiDAR points in forested areas is used to classify LiDAR points; canopy cover (CC), number of LiDAR-detected trees per hectare (N _LD) and individual tree height (h _tree) were calculated using the canopy height model (CHM); and several statistics and metrics extracted from the CHM and the normalized height of the LiDAR data cloud (NHD) were incorporated into the linear and multiplicative models for estimating mean height (H _m), dominant height (H _d), mean diameter (d _m), quadratic mean diameter (d _g), number of stems per hectare (N), basal area (G) and volume (V). The height accuracy results of the LiDAR-derived digital terrain model (DTM), root mean square error (RMSE)?=?0.303 m, revealed that the developed filter behaved well. The values of the RMSE for CC, N _LD and h _tree were 13.2%, 733.3 stems ha^–1 and 1.91 m, respectively. The regressions explained 78% of the variance in ground-truth values for H _m (RMSE?=?1.33 m); 92% for H _d (RMSE?=?1.18 m); 71% for d _m (RMSE?=?1.68 cm); 73% for d _g (RMSE?=?1.66 cm); 49% for N (RMSE?=?667 stems ha^–1); 78% for G (RMSE?=?5.30 m² ha^–1); and 81% for V (RMSE?=?53.6 m³ ha^–1).     

Towards a practical remote-sensing model of suspended sediment concentrations in turbid waters using MERIS measurements

A new empirical index, termed the normalized suspended sediment index (NSSI), is proposed to predict total suspended sediment (TSS) concentrations in inland turbid waters using Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) full-resolution (FR) 300 m data. The algorithm is based on the normalized difference between two MERIS spectral bands, 560 and 760 nm. NSSI shows its potential in application to our study region – Poyang Lake – the largest freshwater lake in China. An exponential function (R² = 0.90, p < 0.01) accurately explained the variance in the in situ data and showed better performance for the TSS range 10–524 mg l^?1. The algorithm was then validated with TSS estimates using an atmospheric-corrected MERIS FR image. The validation showed that the NSSI algorithm was a more robust TSS algorithm than the band-ratio algorithms. Findings of this research imply that NSSI can be successfully used on MERIS images to obtain TSS in Poyang Lake. This work provided a practical remote-sensing approach to estimate TSS in the optically and hydrologically complex Poyang Lake and the method can be easily extended to other similar waters.     

Application of flower pollination algorithm in load frequency control of multi-area interconnected power system with nonlinearity

This work presents an application of bio-inspired flower pollination algorithm (FPA) for tuning proportional–integral–derivative (PID) controller in load frequency control (LFC) of multi-area interconnected power system. The investigated power system comprises of three equal thermal power systems with appropriate PID controller. The controller gain [proportional gain (K _p), integral gain (K _i) and derivative gain (K _d)] values are tuned by using the FPA algorithm with one percent step load perturbation in area 1 (1 % SLP). The integral square error (ISE) is considered the objective function for the FPA. The supremacy performance of proposed algorithm for optimized PID controller is proved by comparing the results with genetic algorithm (GA) and particle swarm optimization (PSO)-based PID controller under the same investigated power system. In addition, the controller robustness is studied by considering appropriate generate rate constraint with nonlinearity in all areas. The result cumulative performance comparisons established that FPA-PID controller exhibit better performance compared to performances of GA-PID and PSO-PID controller-based power system with and without nonlinearity effect.

     

Cover Three-dimensional digital elevation model of Mt Vesuvius from NASA/JPL TOPSAR

Abstract

A linear regression equation is found relating the photosynthetically active radiation intercepted by the canopy (PAR_i), measured with hemispherical photographs, and both the normalized difference ND and the ratio NIR/R vegetation indices. On the basis of this equation, NIR/R is used to estimate PAR_i during the crop cycle. The efficiency with which the PAR absorbed by the crop is transformed into biomass (?_c) is calculated for three phenological phases of the crop. Nitrogen fertilization is the main factor affecting light interception. At the booting stage, PAR_i is about 15 per cent greater for treatments with higher nitrogen levels. ?_c is influenced by both nitrogen and irrigation levels, and varies with the phenological phases of the crop. For the irrigated plots, ?_c is higher in the period going from anthesis to soft dough and not in the period from stem elongation to anthesis as most published results indicate. Water stress is the main factor affecting ?_c. The greatest reductions of ;?_c are observed on plots with higher biomass levels when water shortage starts. The results suggest the need for a water stress index for biomass estimations of rain-fed crops in regions susceptible to drought. This would require knowledge of ?_cc for the crop grown under non-limiting conditions.     

Relationship between the attenuation of downwelling irradiance at 490 nm with the attenuation of PAR (400 nm-700 nm) in the Baltic Sea

The vertical attenuation coefficient of diffuse downwelling irradiance at 490 nm (K_d 490) is a parameter that we routinely derive from SeaWiFS images of the Baltic Sea. Here, through model simulations, we examine the relationship between K_d(490), and the vertical attenuation coefficient of PAR (K_d PAR), as this later coefficient determines the light available for aquatic photosynthesis. A simple semi-analytical model is used to predict K_d(490) and K_d(PAR), as a function of the concentrations of chlorophyll, colored dissolved organic material (CDOM), suspended inorganic, and suspended organic particulate material. A series of model simulations based on variations in these optically significant constituents over a range realistic for the Baltic Sea, are used to define the relationship between the two attenuation coefficients.

Kd(PAR)=0.6677Kd^0.6763(490).     

Comparison of measured and satellite-derived spectral diffuse attenuation coefficients for the Arabian Sea

We present here the results of our study comparing the spectral diffuse attenuation coefficients K _d(λ) measured in the Arabian Sea with those derived from the Sea-Viewing Wide Field-of-View Sensor (SeaWiFS) using three algorithms, of which two are empirical-data-driven and one is semi-analytical. The measurements were carried out in all water types and the mean values of the measured spectral K _d(λ) are 0.105, 0.092, 0.077, 0.082, 0.110 and 0.490 m^?1 for wavelength λ at 412, 443, 490, 510, 555 and 670 nm, respectively. This profile corresponds to a chlorophyll value of about 1 mg m^?3. The maximum values of the measured K _d correspond to waters with chlorophyll of about 8 mg m^?3. Though the satellite-derived K _d(λ) are found to be overestimated in all bands, we have observed good correlations between the measured and satellite-derived values in all bands, and excluding the band at 670 nm, the mean absolute percent deviations are observed to be less than 50% in all bands. The performance of the data-driven empirical methods was found to be consistent in all the bands, except at the red band of 670 nm, which is uncorrelated with the measured values and has large errors. The performances of the empirical methods depend on the accuracy of the band ratios of the retrieved remote sensing reflectance. Though the performance of the semi-analytical algorithm is found to be spectrally varying, with large positive bias observed in the blue regions, this algorithm is recommended for hyperspectral applications. The performance of the semi-analytical algorithm could be improved by having a robust algorithm to accurately derive spectral inherent optical properties of absorption and backscattering coefficients from the satellite data.     

Aboveground forest biomass derived using multiple dates of WorldView-2 stereo-imagery: quantifying the improvement in estimation accuracy

ABSTRACT

The aim of this study was to investigate the capabilities of two date satellite-derived image-based point clouds (IPCs) to estimate forest aboveground biomass (AGB). The data sets used include panchromatic WorldView-2 stereo-imagery with 0.46 m spatial resolution representing 2014 and 2016 and a detailed digital elevation model derived from airborne laser scanning data. Altogether, 332 field sample plots with an area of 256 m² were used for model development and validation. Predictors describing forest height, density, and variation in height were extracted from the IPC 2014 and 2016 and used in k-nearest neighbour imputation models developed with sample plot data for predicting AGB. AGB predictions for 2014 (AGB₂₀₁₄) were projected to 2016 using growth models (AGB_{Projected_2016}) and combined with the AGB estimates derived from the 2016 data (AGB₂₀₁₆). AGB prediction model developed with 2014 data was also applied to 2016 data (AGB_{2016_pred2014}). Based on our results, the change in the 90^th percentile of height derived from the WorldView-2 IPC was able to characterize forest height growth between 2014 and 2016 with an average growth of 0.9 m. Features describing canopy cover and variation in height derived from the IPC were not as consistent. The AGB₂₀₁₆ had a bias of ?7.5% (?10.6 Mg ha^?1) and root mean square error (RMSE) of 26.0% (36.7 Mg ha^?1) as the respective values for AGB_{Projected_2016} were 7.0% (9.9 Mg ha^?1) and 21.5% (30.8 Mg ha^?1). AGB_{2016_pred2014} had a bias of ?19.6% (?27.7 Mg ha^?1) and RMSE of 33.2% (46.9 Mg ha^?1). By combining predictions of AGB₂₀₁₆ and AGB_{Projected_2016} at sample plot level as a weighted average, we were able to decrease the bias notably compared to estimates made on any single date. The lowest bias of ?0.25% (?0.4 Mg ha^?1) was obtained when equal weights of 0.5 were given to the AGB_{Projected_2016} and AGB₂₀₁₆ estimates. Respectively, RMSE of 20.9% (29.5 Mg ha^?1) was obtained using equal weights. Thus, we conclude that combination of two date WorldView-2 stereo-imagery improved the reliability of AGB estimates on sample plots where forest growth was the only change between the two dates.     

VPSPACE and a Transfer Theorem over the Reals

We introduce a new class VPSPACE of families of polynomials. Roughly speaking, a family of polynomials is in VPSPACE if its coefficients can be computed in polynomial space. Our main theorem is that if (uniform, constant-free) VPSPACE families can be evaluated efficiently then the class \sf PAR_{\mathbb R}\sf {PAR}_{\mathbb {R}} of decision problems that can be solved in parallel polynomial time over the real numbers collapses to \sfP_{\mathbb R}\sf{P}_{\mathbb {R}}. As a result, one must first be able to show that there are VPSPACE families which are hard to evaluate in order to separate \sfP_{\mathbb R}\sf{P}_{\mathbb {R}} from \sfNP_{\mathbb R}\sf{NP}_{\mathbb {R}}, or even from \sfPAR_{\mathbb R}\sf{PAR}_{\mathbb {R}}.     

On closed-form approximations for the free energy ofd-dimensional Ising model,II

It has been shown that it is possible to construct families of closed-form approximations lnZ* _d to lnZ _d for the anisotropic Ising model on ad-dimensional hypercubical lattice whose high- and low-temperature series expansions coincide with the corresponding exact expansions up to some order. For the isotropic case the density of zeros ofZ* _d near the critical pointK _c is found under the assumption that they behave like sinh2K=±(sinh2K _c +y±iy). It is shown that there exists a family of closed-form approximations such that ford3 the only possible densities of zeros arem(y)=|y|³ for=0 andm(y)=|y| for 0<||1, i.e., it contains the exact case ford5 corresponding to ||=1.     

On meshy trees

A graph is termed d-meshy if it can be isomorphicaly embedded in the universal d-dimensional mesh (grid) M _d . We investigate the d-meshiness of tree graphs, especially for d = 2. Trees of minimum order that are nonmeshy are identified. It is shown that for any d and n≧2, there exists an h such that the full n-ary tree of height h is not d-meshy. Spreading mesh embeddings of trees that preserve distance from the root are discussed, qs well as the characterization of meshy trees by their degree sequences.     

Using hyperspectral data to quantify water-quality parameters in the Wabash River and its tributaries,Indiana

A hand-held spectrometer was used to collect above-water spectral measurements for measuring optically active water-quality characteristics of the Wabash River and its tributaries in Indiana. Water sampling was undertaken concurrent with spectral measurements to estimate concentrations of chlorophyll (chl) and total suspended solids (TSS). A method for removing sky and Sun glint from field spectra for turbid inland waters was developed and tested. Empirical models were then developed using the corrected field spectra and in situ chl and TSS data. A subset of the field measurements was used for model development and the rest for model validation. Spectral characteristics indicative of waters dominated by different inherent optical properties (IOPs) were identified and used as the basis of selecting bands for empirical model development. It was found that the ratio of the reflectance peak at the red edge (704 nm) with the local minimum caused by chl absorption at 677 nm was a strong predictor of chl concentrations (coefficient of determination (R²) = 0.95). The reflectance peak at 704 nm was also a good predictor for TSS estimation (R² = 0.75). In addition, we also found that reflectance within the near-infrared (NIR) wavelengths (700–890 nm) all showed a strong correlation (0.85–0.91) with TSS concentrations and generated robust models. Results suggest that hyperspectral information provided by field spectrometer can be used to distinguish and quantify water-quality parameters under complex IOP conditions.     

Reliable computation of PID gain space for general second-order time-delay systems

This paper addresses the problem of determining the stability gain space of a PID controller for general second-order time-delay systems. First, a review of existing results and the associated drawbacks is presented. Subsequently, a new algorithm to compute the entire PID stability gain space is developed. The new algorithm is based upon existing results on the relationship between the stability of a quasi-polynomial and its derivatives, an extended version of the Hermit–Biehler theorem, and also the Nyquist criterion. The algorithm entails extraction of an admissible range for the PID parameter K_p, and then based on this range, a stability region in the (K_i ? K_d) plane is computed. Well-known examples are studied to demonstrate the reliability and accuracy of the results.     

Assessing corn water stress using spectral reflectance

Multiple remote-sensing techniques have been developed to identify crop-water stress; however, some methods may be difficult for farmers to apply. If spectral reflectance data can be used to monitor crop-water stress, growers could use this information as a quick low-cost guideline for irrigation management, thus helping save water by preventing over-irrigating and achieving desired crop yields. Data was collected in the 2013 growing season near Greeley, Colorado, where drip irrigation was used to irrigate 12 corn (Zea mays L.) treatments with varying water-deficit levels. Ground-based multispectral data were collected and three different vegetation indices were evaluated. These included the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), the optimized soil-adjusted vegetation index (OSAVI), and the Green normalized difference vegetation index (GNDVI). The three vegetation indices were compared to water stress as indicated by the stress coefficient (K_s), and water deficit in the root zone was calculated using a soil water balance. To compare the indices to K_s, vegetation ratios were developed from vegetation indices in the process of normalization. Vegetation ratios are defined as the non-stressed vegetation index divided by the stressed vegetation index. Results showed that vegetation ratios were sensitive to water stress as indicated by the good coefficient of determination (R² > 0.46) values and low root mean square error (RMSE < 0.076) values when compared to K_s. To use spectral reflectance to manage crop-water stress, an example irrigation trigger point of 0.93 for the vegetation ratios was determined for a 10–12% loss in yield. These results were validated using data collected from a different field. The performance of the vegetation ratio approach was better than when applied to the main field giving higher goodness of fit values (R² > 0.63), and lower error values (RMSE < 0.043) between K_s and the vegetation indices.     

Thermal waveguide and fine-scale periodic relief on the semiconductor’s surface induced by TEA CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> laser radiation

The results of experimental study of linear CO₂ laser radiation interaction with semiconductor monocrystals (silicon, germanium, gallium arsenide,) are presented. It was shown that produced surface relief of micro- and nano-structures with spatial periods d ~ λ/n, d ~ λ/2n and d ~ λ/8n (for germanium) are well explained in the framework of universal polariton model of laser-induced condensed-matter damage.