scholarly journals Evaluation of the Influence of Disturbances on Forest Vegetation Using the Time Series of Landsat Data: A Comparison Study of the Low Tatras and Sumava National Parks

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 71 ◽  
Author(s):  
Premysl Stych ◽  
Josef Lastovicka ◽  
Radovan Hladky ◽  
Daniel Paluba

This study focused on the evaluation of forest vegetation changes from 1992 to 2015 in the Low Tatras National Park (NAPANT) in Slovakia and the Sumava National Park in Czechia using a time series (TS) of Landsat images. The study area was damaged by wind and bark beetle calamities, which strongly influenced the health state of the forest vegetation at the end of the 20th and beginning of the 21st century. The analysis of the time series was based on the ten selected vegetation indices in different types of localities selected according to the type of forest disturbances. The Landsat data CDR (Climate Data Record/Level 2) was normalized using the PIF (Pseudo-Invariant Features) method and the results of the Time Series were validated by in-situ data. The results confirmed the high relevance of the vegetation indices based on the SWIR bands (e.g., NDMI) for the purpose of evaluating the individual stages of the disturbance (especially the bark beetle calamity). Usage of the normalized Landsat data Climate Data Record (CDR/Level 2) in the research of long-term forest vegetation changes has a high relevance and perspective due to the free availability of the corrected data.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giulia Panegrossi ◽  
Paolo Sanò ◽  
Leonardo Bagaglini ◽  
Daniele Casella ◽  
Elsa Cattani ◽  
...  

<p>Within the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), the Climate Data Store (CDS) built by ECMWF will provide open and free access to global and regional products of Essential Climate Variables (ECV) based on satellite observations spanning several decades, amongst other things. Given its significance in the Earth system and particularly for human life, the ECV precipitation will be of major interest for users of the CDS.</p><p>C3S strives to include as many established, high-quality data sets as possible in the CDS. However, it also intends to offer new products dedicated for first-hand publication in the CDS. One of these products is a climate data record based on merging satellite observations of daily and monthly precipitation by both passive microwave (MW) sounders (AMSU-B/MHS) and imagers (SSMI/SSMIS) on a 1°x1° spatial grid in order to improve spatiotemporal satellite coverage of the globe.</p><p>The MW sounder observations will be obtained using, as input data, the FIDUCEO Fundamental Climate data Record (FCDR) for AMSU-B/MHS in a new global algorithm developed specifically for the project based on the Passive microwave Neural network Precipitation Retrieval approach (PNPR; Sanò et al., 2015), adapted for climate applications (PNPR-CLIM). The algorithm consists of two Artificial Neural Network-based modules, one for precipitation detection, and one for precipitation rate estimate, trained on a global observational database built from Global Precipitation Measurement-Core Observatory (GPM-CO) measurements. The MW imager observations by SSM/I and SSMIS will be adopted from the Hamburg Ocean Atmosphere Fluxes and Parameters from Satellite data (HOAPS; Andersson et al., 2017), based on the CM SAF SSM/I and SSMIS FCDR (Fennig et al., 2017). The Level 2 precipitation rate estimates from MW sounders and imagers are combined through a newly developed merging module to obtain Level 3 daily and monthly precipitation and generate the 18-year precipitation CDR (2000-2017).</p><p>Here, we present the status of the Level 2 product’s development. We carry out a Level-2 comparison and present first results of the merged Level-3 precipitation fields. Based on this, we assess the product’s expected plausibility, coverage, and the added value of merging the MW sounder and imager observations.</p><p><strong>References</strong></p><p>Anderssonet al., 2017, DOI:10.5676/EUM_SAF_CM/HOAPS/V002</p><p>Fennig, et al., 2017, DOI:10.5676/EUM_SAF_CM/FCDR_MWI/V003</p><p>Sanò, P., et al., 2015, DOI: 10.5194/amt-8-837-2015</p>


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 1914 ◽  
Author(s):  
Josef Lastovicka ◽  
Pavel Svec ◽  
Daniel Paluba ◽  
Natalia Kobliuk ◽  
Jan Svoboda ◽  
...  

In this article, we investigated the detection of forest vegetation changes during the period of 2017 to 2019 in the Low Tatras National Park (Slovakia) and the Sumava National Park (Czechia) using Sentinel-2 data. The evaluation was based on a time-series analysis using selected vegetation indices. The case studies represented five different areas according to the type of the forest vegetation degradation (one with bark beetle calamity, two areas with forest recovery mode after a bark beetle calamity, and two areas without significant disturbances). The values of the trajectories of the vegetation indices (normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and normalized difference moisture index (NDMI)) and the orthogonal indices (tasseled cap greenness (TCG) and tasseled cap wetness (TCW)) were analyzed and validated by in situ data and aerial photographs. The results confirm the abilities of the NDVI, the NDMI and the TCW to distinguish disturbed and undisturbed areas. The NDMI vegetation index was particularly useful for the detection of the disturbed forest and forest recovery after bark beetle outbreaks and provided relevant information regarding the health of the forest (the individual stages of the disturbances and recovery mode). On the contrary, the TCG index demonstrated only limited abilities. The TCG could distinguish healthy forest and the gray-attack disturbance phase; however, it was difficult to use this index for detecting different recovery phases and to distinguish recovery phases from healthy forest. The areas affected by the disturbances had lower values of NDVI and NDMI indices (NDVI quartile range Q2–Q3: 0.63–0.71; NDMI Q2–Q3: 0.10–0.19) and the TCW index had negative values (Q2–Q3: −0.06–−0.05)). The analysis was performed with a cloud-based tool—Sentinel Hub. Cloud-based technologies have brought a new dimension in the processing and analysis of satellite data and allowed satellite data to be brought to end-users in the forestry sector. The Copernicus program and its data from Sentinel missions have evoked new opportunities in the application of satellite data. The usage of Sentinel-2 data in the research of long-term forest vegetation changes has a high relevance and perspective due to the free availability, distribution, and well-designed spectral, temporal, and spatial resolution of the Sentinel-2 data for monitoring forest ecosystems.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mojtaba Sadeghi ◽  
Phu Nguyen ◽  
Matin Rahnamay Naeini ◽  
Kuolin Hsu ◽  
Dan Braithwaite ◽  
...  

AbstractAccurate long-term global precipitation estimates, especially for heavy precipitation rates, at fine spatial and temporal resolutions is vital for a wide variety of climatological studies. Most of the available operational precipitation estimation datasets provide either high spatial resolution with short-term duration estimates or lower spatial resolution with long-term duration estimates. Furthermore, previous research has stressed that most of the available satellite-based precipitation products show poor performance for capturing extreme events at high temporal resolution. Therefore, there is a need for a precipitation product that reliably detects heavy precipitation rates with fine spatiotemporal resolution and a longer period of record. Precipitation Estimation from Remotely Sensed Information using Artificial Neural Networks-Cloud Classification System-Climate Data Record (PERSIANN-CCS-CDR) is designed to address these limitations. This dataset provides precipitation estimates at 0.04° spatial and 3-hourly temporal resolutions from 1983 to present over the global domain of 60°S to 60°N. Evaluations of PERSIANN-CCS-CDR and PERSIANN-CDR against gauge and radar observations show the better performance of PERSIANN-CCS-CDR in representing the spatiotemporal resolution, magnitude, and spatial distribution patterns of precipitation, especially for extreme events.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 1701
Author(s):  
Leonardo Bagaglini ◽  
Paolo Sanò ◽  
Daniele Casella ◽  
Elsa Cattani ◽  
Giulia Panegrossi

This paper describes the Passive microwave Neural network Precipitation Retrieval algorithm for climate applications (PNPR-CLIM), developed with funding from the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), implemented by ECMWF on behalf of the European Union. The algorithm has been designed and developed to exploit the two cross-track scanning microwave radiometers, AMSU-B and MHS, towards the creation of a long-term (2000–2017) global precipitation climate data record (CDR) for the ECMWF Climate Data Store (CDS). The algorithm has been trained on an observational dataset built from one year of MHS and GPM-CO Dual-frequency Precipitation Radar (DPR) coincident observations. The dataset includes the Fundamental Climate Data Record (FCDR) of AMSU-B and MHS brightness temperatures, provided by the Fidelity and Uncertainty in Climate data records from Earth Observation (FIDUCEO) project, and the DPR-based surface precipitation rate estimates used as reference. The combined use of high quality, calibrated and harmonized long-term input data (provided by the FIDUCEO microwave brightness temperature Fundamental Climate Data Record) with the exploitation of the potential of neural networks (ability to learn and generalize) has made it possible to limit the use of ancillary model-derived environmental variables, thus reducing the model uncertainties’ influence on the PNPR-CLIM, which could compromise the accuracy of the estimates. The PNPR-CLIM estimated precipitation distribution is in good agreement with independent DPR-based estimates. A multiscale assessment of the algorithm’s performance is presented against high quality regional ground-based radar products and global precipitation datasets. The regional and global three-year (2015–2017) verification analysis shows that, despite the simplicity of the algorithm in terms of input variables and processing performance, the quality of PNPR-CLIM outperforms NASA GPROF in terms of rainfall detection, while in terms of rainfall quantification they are comparable. The global analysis evidences weaknesses at higher latitudes and in the winter at mid latitudes, mainly linked to the poorer quality of the precipitation retrieval in cold/dry conditions.


2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (9) ◽  
pp. 5809-5828 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karl-Göran Karlsson ◽  
Kati Anttila ◽  
Jörg Trentmann ◽  
Martin Stengel ◽  
Jan Fokke Meirink ◽  
...  

Abstract. The second edition of the satellite-derived climate data record CLARA (The CM SAF Cloud, Albedo And Surface Radiation dataset from AVHRR data – second edition denoted as CLARA-A2) is described. The data record covers the 34-year period from 1982 until 2015 and consists of cloud, surface albedo and surface radiation budget products derived from the AVHRR (Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer) sensor carried by polar-orbiting, operational meteorological satellites. The data record is produced by the EUMETSAT Climate Monitoring Satellite Application Facility (CM SAF) project as part of the operational ground segment. Its upgraded content and methodology improvements since edition 1 are described in detail, as are some major validation results. Some of the main improvements to the data record come from a major effort in cleaning and homogenizing the basic AVHRR level-1 radiance record and a systematic use of CALIPSO-CALIOP cloud information for development and validation purposes. Examples of applications studying decadal changes in Arctic summer surface albedo and cloud conditions are provided.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kerry Meyer ◽  
Steven Platnick ◽  
Robert Holz ◽  
Steven Ackerman ◽  
Andrew Heidinger ◽  
...  

<p>The Suomi NPP and JPSS series VIIRS imagers provide an opportunity to extend the NASA EOS Terra (20+ year) and Aqua (18+ year) MODIS cloud climate data record into the new generation NOAA operational weather satellite era. However, while building a consistent, long-term cloud data record has proven challenging for the two MODIS sensors alone, the transition to VIIRS presents additional challenges due to its lack of key water vapor and CO<sub>2</sub> absorbing channels available on MODIS that are used for high cloud detection and cloud-top property retrievals, and a mismatch in the spectral location of the 2.2µm shortwave infrared channels on MODIS and VIIRS that has important implications on inter-sensor consistency of cloud optical/microphysical property retrievals and cloud thermodynamic phase. Moreover, sampling differences between MODIS and VIIRS, including spatial resolution and local observation time, and inter-sensor relative radiometric calibration pose additional challenges. To create a continuous, long-term cloud climate data record that merges the observational records of MODIS and VIIRS while mitigating the impacts of these sensor differences, a common algorithm approach was pursued that utilizes a subset of spectral channels available on each imager. The resulting NASA CLDMSK (cloud mask) and CLDPROP (cloud-top and optical/microphysical properties) products were publicly released for Aqua MODIS and SNPP VIIRS in early 2020, with NOAA-20 (JPSS-1) VIIRS following in early 2021. Here, we present an overview of the MODIS-VIIRS CLDMSK and CLDPROP common algorithm approach, discuss efforts to monitor and address relative radiometric calibration differences, and highlight early analysis of inter-sensor cloud product dataset continuity.</p>


2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 1640 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ralph Ferraro ◽  
Brian Nelson ◽  
Tom Smith ◽  
Olivier Prat

Passive microwave measurements have been available on satellites back to the 1970s, first flown on research satellites developed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Since then, several other sensors have been flown to retrieve hydrological products for both operational weather applications (e.g., the Special Sensor Microwave/Imager—SSM/I; the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit—AMSU) and climate applications (e.g., the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer—AMSR; the Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission Microwave Imager—TMI; the Global Precipitation Mission Microwave Imager—GMI). Here, the focus is on measurements from the AMSU-A, AMSU-B, and Microwave Humidity Sounder (MHS). These sensors have been in operation since 1998, with the launch of NOAA-15, and are also on board NOAA-16, -17, -18, -19, and the MetOp-A and -B satellites. A data set called the “Hydrological Bundle” is a climate data record (CDR) that utilizes brightness temperatures from fundamental CDRs (FCDRs) to generate thematic CDRs (TCDRs). The TCDRs include total precipitable water (TPW), cloud liquid water (CLW), sea-ice concentration (SIC), land surface temperature (LST), land surface emissivity (LSE) for 23, 31, 50 GHz, rain rate (RR), snow cover (SC), ice water path (IWP), and snow water equivalent (SWE). The TCDRs are shown to be in general good agreement with similar products from other sources, such as the Global Precipitation Climatology Project (GPCP) and the Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications (MERRA-2). Due to the careful intercalibration of the FCDRs, little bias is found among the different TCDRs produced from individual NOAA and MetOp satellites, except for normal diurnal cycle differences.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (16) ◽  
pp. 2554
Author(s):  
Christopher J. Merchant ◽  
Owen Embury

Atmospheric desert-dust aerosol, primarily from north Africa, causes negative biases in remotely sensed climate data records of sea surface temperature (SST). Here, large-scale bias adjustments are deduced and applied to the v2 climate data record of SST from the European Space Agency Climate Change Initiative (CCI). Unlike SST from infrared sensors, SST measured in situ is not prone to desert-dust bias. An in-situ-based SST analysis is combined with column dust mass from the Modern-Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications, Version 2 to deduce a monthly, large-scale adjustment to CCI analysis SSTs. Having reduced the dust-related biases, a further correction for some periods of anomalous satellite calibration is also derived. The corrections will increase the usability of the v2 CCI SST record for oceanographic and climate applications, such as understanding the role of Arabian Sea SSTs in the Indian monsoon. The corrections will also pave the way for a v3 climate data record with improved error characteristics with respect to atmospheric dust aerosol.


2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 1959 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yves Govaerts ◽  
Frank Rüthrich ◽  
Viju John ◽  
Ralf Quast

Meteosat First-Generation satellites have acquired more than 30 years of observations that could potentially be used for the generation of a Climate Data Record. The availability of harmonized and accurate a Fundamental Climate Data Record is a prerequisite to such generation. Meteosat Visible and Infrared Imager radiometers suffer from inaccurate pre-launch spectral function characterization and spectral ageing constitutes a serious limitation to achieve such prerequisite. A new method was developed for the retrieval of the pre-launch instrument spectral function and its ageing. This recovery method relies on accurately simulated top-of-atmosphere spectral radiances matching observed digital count values. This paper describes how these spectral radiances are simulated over pseudo-invariant targets such as open ocean, deep convective clouds and bright desert surface. The radiative properties of these targets are described with a limited number of parameters of known uncertainty. Typically, a single top-of-atmosphere radiance spectrum can be simulated with an estimated uncertainty of about 5%. The independent evaluation of the simulated radiance accuracy is also addressed in this paper. It includes two aspects: the comparison with narrow-band well-calibrated radiometers and a spectral consistency analysis using SEVIRI/HRVIS band on board Meteosat Second Generation which was accurately characterized pre-launch. On average, the accuracy of these simulated spectral radiances is estimated to be about ±2%.


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