Thermal Infrared

Upflow zone identification at volcanic fields is crucial for geothermal resource exploration. The common problem to identify the upflow zone using conventional mapping method is time-consuming and the limitation of access to the area. The application of satellite imaging as ground-truthing is aimed to increase the effectiveness of upflow zone detection at geothermal fields. This study selected the volcanic field around the Bandung Basin for a model case. The data used in this study were thermal images of the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) Thermal Infrared Radiometer (TIR) by the night observations. The TIR data were corrected and calibrated by Visible Near Infrared Radiometer (VNIR) to measure Land Surface Temperature (LST). We then focused our analysis around a volcanic area that showed high LST at the Papandayan crater and other manifestations. Validations were carried out by measuring surface temperature and gas concentrations including SO2 and CO2. The reading value of the gases was different on each location, but the pattern of the gases was relatively similar especially the SO2 gas pattern. The SO2 gas showed a relatively constant trend of gas concentration over time in the upflow zone, but in the outflow zone showed an increase pattern with the time whose reading values were lower than those on the upflow. On the contrary, the non-geothermal features showed that the SO2 concentration decreased with the time towards almost 0. According to the retrieved LST, the surface manifestations were located not only at the high anomaly but also at medium anomaly depending on the manifestation dimension. The gas and temperature measurements proved that LST could be used to enhance the effectiveness of upflow zone identification.

Ground thermal anomalies associated with geothermal surface manifestations such as hot springs, fumaroles, altered surfaces, and steaming grounds serve as crucial indicator for geothermal explorations. In order to highlight the ground thermal anomalies, this study was raised to use the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) data to estimate surface temperature under condition of dense vegetation. This study was focused to exploit the ASTER Thermal Infrared Radiometer (TIR) under lab and field scale conditions. The ASTER TIR bands were used to extract the Land Surface Temperature (Ts) from radiances by excluding surface emissivity (εs). The ε is a surface parameter dependent to the surface materials. In this paper, we demonstrated the performance of the Normalized Emissivity Method (NEM) to calculate the Ts by estimating the ε under condition of dense vegetation. The Patuha and Wayang Windu Geothermal field in West Java (Indonesia) were selected as study site due to existence of surface manifestations under canopy vegetation and open area. According to the method, we identified that the ground thermal anomalies are located at surface manifestations. Due to the different spatial scales of satellite and surface measurements and the lack of homogeneous areas, which are representative for low resolution pixels and ground measurements, ground-validation is necessary. The consistency between ASTER data and location of geothermal manifestations indicated that thermal remote sensing data integrated with a spatial-based model, provides an effective means for identifying geothermal potential.

The ground temperature and emissivity anomalies could be used as an indicator for the existence of geothermal surface manifestations such as hot springs, fumaroles, or altered surfaces with remaining thermal at a crater rim. The ground temperature could be measured directly at the field using ground thermometer. However, field measurements are inefficient for large investigated areas and extracting Land Surface Temperature (LST) based on satellite thermal infrared sensor is also complicated due to several unknown parameters such as noise from the environment and object emissivity. Moreover, field studies under the conditions of dense vegetation makes the problem worse due to the shallower layer penetration of the response at wavelengths of thermal infrared compared to microwave energies. Overcoming the problem, we tried to estimate the kinetic temperature from the simulated steam spot using thermal infrared camera FLIR C2 with an accuracy of 2°C. The lab simulations were performed proportionally to ground variables such as the vegetation cover, height of the sensor, and diurnal effects. According to the simulations, the steam spot from boiling water 98°C recorded by the sensor at heights more than 1.2 m equivalent to spatial resolution 0.2 cm is constant about 37.2°C. We also observed that the vegetation cover reduced the measured temperature with thermal efficiency 33%. For diurnal effect, the detected temperature is constant regardless time observations. The background temperature influenced the vegetation covering steam spot with efficiencies 30% and 50% for day and night observations, respectively. These simulation results were used for further study into thermal infrared remote sensing techniques for thermal features identification. Field investigations were also performed to clarify the applicability of the thermal infrared camera to the measured ground temperature.

The ground temperature and emissivity anomalies could be used as an indicator for the existence of geothermal surface manifestations such as hot springs, fumaroles, or altered surfaces with remaining thermal at a crater rim. The ground temperature could be measured directly at the field using ground thermometer. However, field measurements are inefficient for large investigated areas and extracting Land Surface Temperature (LST) based on satellite thermal infrared sensor is also complicated due to several unknown parameters such as noise from the environment and object emissivity. Moreover, field studies under the conditions of dense vegetation makes the problem worse due to the shallower layer penetration of the response at wavelengths of thermal infrared compared to microwave energies. Overcoming the problem, we tried to estimate the kinetic temperature from the simulated steam spot using thermal infrared camera FLIR C2 with an accuracy of 2°C. The lab simulations were performed p...

Recent studies reveal that a higher fraction of coarse mineral dust particles than that estimated by climate model simulations has been observed in the atmosphere, leading to a more significant positive (i.e., warming) longwave (LW) thermal infrared (TIR) direct radiative effect (DRE). However, the magnitude of this DRE remains highly uncertain because our understanding of the radiative properties, quantitatively represented by the optical depth of dust, especially information on the TIR, remains limited. This study presents a simple approach to retrieve the thermal infrared dust aerosol optical depth (DAODTIR) over oceans during nighttime using the observations from the Infrared Imaging Radiometer (IIR) and the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP) onboard CALIPSO. For each cloud-free dust-laden profile identified by the IIR-CALIOP observation, a Lookup-Table (LUT) of the 10.6 μm IIR band brightness temperatures difference (dBT) under different DAODTIR with respect to their dust-free BTs is constructed based on the CALIOP retrieved dust vertical profile and pre-assumed dust scattering properties using a fast radiative transfer model. Then the DAODTIR is retrieved by projecting the IIR-observed dBT on the LUT. Sensitivity studies show that the DAODTIR retrieval at 10.6 μm is more susceptible to the dust particle size distribution (PSD) assumption than dust refractive indices. To estimate the uncertainty caused by PSD assumption, two DAODTIR retrieval products, one based on the dust PSD from the AERONET at Cape Verde and the other on an in situ measured PSD from the recent Fennec campaign, are provided. The retrieval uncertainty is mainly contributed by the BT difference between the observation and simulation using auxiliary atmospheric data. The climatology of the retrieval from 2013 to 2019 shows confident spatiotemporal variations of DAODTIR with the global-averaged value of 0.006 and 0.008 based on different pre-assumed dust PSDs. Climatological results agree reasonably well with two independent DAODTIR retrieval

Up to date methods and approaches in face identification field heavily depend on facial characteristics; such as location of eyes, length of nose and mouth. Ambient lightings have much influenced the visibility of these facial characteristics; where the visibility varies significantly with inconsistent external light source. In this paper, we present an extended framework for face identification based on thermal information extracted from facial images acquired from a Raytheon Palm-IR-Pro and Raytheon L-3 Thermal-Eye 2000AS sensored lense for themal images and Panasonic WV-CP234 for visible images. The inspiration initiating to this research is to engage in extracting significant facial characteristics from the acquired bio-thermal distribution information within a face, which differs from current facial characteristics that are visible over the skin. Encouraging results are produced which demonstrates the high capability of Hu's classical moment invariants as a feature in therm...

In this paper we present a satellite based approach to monitor impacts of urban settlements on nearby protected areas worldwide. The footprint of human occupation is uniquely visible from space in the form of artificial night lighting, ranging from the burning of the rainforest to massive offshore fisheries to the omnipresent lights of cities and towns and related connecting road networks. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Geophysical Data Center (NOAA-NGDC) processes and archives data acquired ...

Glazing research is receiving increased attention around the world, thanks to cooperation among industrialized nations in the research and development of new glazing materials and systems that can contribute to a reduction of the excessive dependence on non-renewable energy sources. The International Energy Agency (lEA) is a major vehicl e for canying out collaborative R&D on a global basis. The lEA was formed in 1974 with 23 member countries to develop a coordinated approach to the utilization of energy resources. This involves collaboration in the research, development, and demonstration of new energy technologies. The lEA Solar Heating and Coo ling Program was initiated in 1977 and a total of nineteen projects or tasks have been undertaken . The U.S., primarily through work at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), is one of 15 on application and technology transfer issues. The emphasis is on near-te rm or emerging market applications. Task 18 also intends to increase general awareness of advanced glazings, plus aid industry, universities , and standards organizations in the proper measurement, application, energy benefit, and use of these advanced materials on an international level. Task 18 is organized into two Subtask areas: Subtask A focuses primarily on analyses required to identify energy and environmental benefits and building applications of various potential glazing materials and Subtask B involves laboratory characterization of glazings and (See lEA Activities, page 2) lEA Task 18 Experts Meet in Toronto countries actively involved in IEA/S HC Task 18 Advanced INTERNATIONAL ENERGY AGENCY The International Energy Association (lEA) Task 18 meeting was held June 5-6, 1995 in Toronto, Canada, following the Window Innovation Glazing & Associated Materials Solar Heating & Cooling Programme for Solar & Building Applications. This is the world's largest coordinated effort in g1azings research , with more than 60 researchers participating worldwide. The goal of Task 18 is to reduce the energy consumption of buildings through improved glazing technologies. This task was initi ated January 1992 as a five-year effort. In addition to developing the scientific, engineering, and architectural basis for development of new technologies, the Task 18 research will also focus Conference, to review research progress. Chaired by Professor Michael Hutchins, Oxford Brookes University, UK, the plenary sessions focused on electrochromics and advanced glazing technology and assessment, with project presentations fo llowing. A report on the performance of frame and edge seal technologies was distributed , along with a review of a new phase dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) device from 3M.

CuRREnt niGht opERAtions are enabled through imaging in the visible–near-infrared band, as provided by Gen III image intensi-fier tubes in night-vision goggles, and in the thermal infrared (IR) bands, supported by a variety of for-ward-looking infrared (FLIR) imaging devices ...

The focal plane assembly for the Thermal Infrared Sensor (TIRS) instrument on NASA's Landsat Data Continuity Mission (LDCM) consists of three 512 x 640 GaAs Quantum Well Infrared Photodetector (QWIP) arrays. The three arrays are precisely mounted and aligned on a silicon carrier substrate to provide a continuous viewing swath of 1850 pixels in two spectral bands defined by filters placed in close proximity to the detector surfaces. The QWIP arrays are hybridized to Indigo ISC9803 readout integrated circuits (ROICs). QWIP arrays were evaluated from four laboratories; QmagiQ, (Nashua, NH), Army Research Laboratory, (Adelphi, MD}, NASA/ Goddard Space Flight Center, (Greenbelt, MD) and Thales, (Palaiseau, France). All were found to be suitable. The final discriminating parameter was the spectral unifonnity of individual pixels relative to each other. The performance of the QWIP arrays and the fully assembled, NASA flight-qualified, focal plane assembly will be reviewed. An overview of the focal plane assembly including the construction and test requirements of the focal plane will also be described.

Since 1999, the National Energy Technology Laboratory has conducted helicopter frequency domain electromagnetic (FDEM) surveys of 30 sites to identify hydrologic problems that have resulted from mining activity. The FDEM data from these surveys was processed to generate conductivity maps and conductivity/depth images (CDI), which together show the lateral and vertical distribution of ground conductivity. This information has been used to determine: 1) the location, depth, and thickness of regional water tables and perched water tables, 2) the location of infiltration zones, 3) the location of pyritic wastes either on the surface or at depth, 4) the location of flooded mine workings (if filled with conductive water and located at depths less than 50 m), and 5) the likely locations for springs or mine discharges. Helicopter FDEM results have been validated using down-hole geophysical measurements, traditional hydrologic measurements from dense networks of groundwater monitoring wells, ground-based electromagnetic surveys, airborne thermal infrared imagery, and field reconnaissance. Helicopter FDEM surveys cannot be used in heavily populated areas or areas near power lines. The exploration depth will be reduced in areas with conductive cover such as contaminated surface impoundments or clay layers. Successful and unsuccessful FDEM surveys will be discussed.

High-resolution airborne thermal infrared (TIR) imagery data were collected over 90.6 km 2 (35 mi 2 ) of remote and rugged terrain in the Kettle Creek and Cooks Run Basins, tributaries of the West Branch of the Susquehanna River in north-central Pennsylvania. The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the effectiveness of TIR for identifying sources of acid mine drainage (AMD) associated with abandoned coal mines. Coal mining from the late 1800s resulted in many AMD sources from abandoned mines in the area. However, very little detailed mine information was available, particularly on the source locations of AMD sites. Potential AMD sources were extracted from airborne TIR data employing custom image processing algorithms and GIS data analysis. Based on field reconnaissance of 103 TIR anomalies, 53 sites (51%) were classified as AMD. The AMD sources had low pH (<4) and elevated concentrations of iron and aluminum. Of the 53 sites, approximately 26 sites could be correlated with sites previously documented as AMD. The other 27 mine discharges identified in the TIR data were previously undocumented. This paper presents a summary of the procedures used to process the TIR data and extract potential mine drainage sites, methods used for field reconnaissance and verification of TIR data, and a brief summary of water-quality data.

At the United States Army's test sites, fired penetrators made of Depleted Uranium (DU) have been buried under ground and become hazardous waste. Previously, we developed techniques for detecting buried radioactive targets. We also developed approaches for locating buried paramagnetic metal objects by utilizing the electromagnetic induction (EMI) sensor data. In this paper, we apply data fusion techniques to combine results from both the radiation detection and the EMI detection, so that we can further distinguish among DU penetrators, DU oxide, and non-DU metal debris. We develop a two-step fusion approach for the task, and test it with survey data collected on simulation targets.

The surface urban heat island (SUHI) effect is defined as the increased surface temperatures in urban areas in contrast to cooler surrounding rural areas. In this article, the evaluation of the SUHI effect in the city of Madrid (Spain) from thermal infrared (TIR) remote-sensing data is presented. The data were obtained from the framework of the Dual-use European Security IR Experiment (DESIREX) campaign that was carried out during June and July 2008 in Madrid. The campaign combined the collection of airborne hyperspectral and in situ measurements. Thirty spectral and spatial high-resolution images were acquired with the Airborne Hyperspectral Scanner (AHS) sensor in a 11, 21, and 4 h UTC scheme. The imagery was used to retrieve the SUHI effect by applying the temperature and emissivity separation (TES) algorithm. The results show a nocturnal SUHI effect with a highest value of 5 K. This maximum value agrees within 1 K with the highest value of the urban heat island (UHI) observed using air temperature data (AT). During the daytime, this situation is reversed and the city becomes a negative heat island.

The AHS (Airborne Hyperspectral Scanner) instrument has 80 spectral bands covering the visible and near infrared (VNIR), short wave infrared (SWIR), mid infrared (MIR) and thermal infrared (TIR) spectral range. The instrument is operated by Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aerospacial (INTA), and it has been involved in several field campaigns since 2004. This paper presents an overview of the work performed with the AHS thermal imagery provided in the framework of the SPARC and SEN2FLEX campaigns, carried out respectively in 2004 and 2005 over an agricultural area in Spain. The data collected in both campaigns allowed for the first time the development and testing of algorithms for land surface temperature and emissivity retrieval as well as the estimation of evapotranspiration from AHS data. Errors were found to be around 1.5 K for land surface temperature and 1 mm/day for evapotranspiration.

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Most sensors for the detection of buried landmines are influenced by the properties of the soil that surrounds the mine. The temporal and spatial variability in soil properties accounts for a significant part of the detection uncertainty that is associated with most sensors. In particular, most sensor types (e.g., ground-penetrating radar, thermal infrared cameras, and chemical sniffers) are affected by the water content of the soil. However, each sensor type reacts in its own way to variations in soil water content and other soil properties. The resulting variation in sensor performance has serious implications for sensor fusion operations. We show how knowledge of soil physics can contribute to a better understanding of sensor performance and can lead to improved data fusion.

The Composite Infrared Spectrometer (CIRS) is a remote-sensing Fourier Transform Spectrometer (FTS) on the Cassini orbiter that measures thermal radiation over two decades in wavenumber, from 10 to 1400 cm -1 (1 mm to 7µm), with a spectral resolution that can be set from 0.5 to 15.5 cm -1 . The far infrared portion of the spectrum (10-600 cm -1 ) is measured with a polarizing interferometer having thermopile detectors with a common 4-mrad field of view (FOV). The middle infrared portion is measured with a traditional Michelson interferometer having two focal planes (600-1100 cm -1 , 1100-1400 cm -1 ). Each focal plane is composed of a 1 ×10 array of HgCdTe detectors, each detector having a 0.3-mrad FOV. CIRS observations will provide three-dimensional maps of temperature, gas composition, and aerosols/condensates of the atmospheres of Titan and Saturn with good vertical and horizontal resolution, from deep in their tropospheres to high in their mesospheres. CIRS's ability to observe atmospheres in the limb-viewing mode (in addition to nadir) offers the opportunity to

In late 2004 and 2005 the Cassini composite infrared spectrometer (CIRS) obtained spatially resolved thermal infrared radial scans of Saturn's main rings (A, B and C, and Cassini Division) that show ring temperatures decreasing with increasing solar phase angle, a, on both the lit and unlit faces of the ring plane. These temperature differences suggest that Saturn's main rings include a population of ring particles that spin slowly, with a spin period greater than 3.6 h, given their low thermal inertia. The A ring shows the smallest temperature variation with a, and this variation decreases with distance from the planet. This suggests an increasing number of smaller, and/or more rapidly rotating ring particles with more uniform temperatures, resulting perhaps from stirring by the density waves in the outer A ring and/or self-gravity wakes. The temperatures of the A and B rings are correlated with their optical depth, t, when viewed from the lit face, and anti-correlated when viewed from the unlit face. On the unlit face of the B ring, not only do the lowest temperatures correlate with the largest t, these temperatures are also the same at both low and high a, suggesting that little sunlight is penetrating these regions. The temperature differential from the lit to the unlit side of the rings is a strong, nearly linear, function of optical depth. This is consistent with the expectation that little sunlight penetrates to the dark side of the densest rings, but also suggests that little vertical mixing of ring particles is taking place in the A and B rings.

Volcanoes need to be monitored to mitigate the risk that they pose to society. This can be done on a global scale using satellite sensors. The goal of this doctorate was to develop methods for the monitoring of volcanic thermal activity from space. This was achieved through the use of a variety of orbital infrared sensors. The Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER), which offers moderate to high spatial resolution imagery (30 -90 m) in the short-wave infrared (SWIR) and thermal infrared (TIR), was used to characterize the size and intensity of thermal anomalies. Its TIR channels were capable of detecting subtle thermal anomalies. This permitted the observation of new thermal precursors to eruptive events. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) offers high temporal resolution imagery (i.e. daily global coverage). It was therefore used to investigate thermal activity through time. Wavelet analysis was used to quantify the time period over which such activity oscillates. Hyperion is an orbiting imaging spectrometer. It was used to demonstrate a new method for calculating radiant flux from thermally heterogeneous targets (i.e. such as volcanoes). These methods utilized the strengths of each sensor system, i.e. high spatial, temporal or spectral resolution. They all improve the ability to detect and/or quantify thermal anomalies from space and can be executed in an automated global basis. This thesis therefore presents a solid foundation on which the next generation global volcano monitoring system can be based.

Volcanoes are associated with the movement of heat from the Earth's mantle to the surface. The ability to measure the temperature of volcanic targets from space would provide a particularly useful tool in furthering the understanding of volcanic systems. However this goal has remained difficult to obtain because of the heterogeneous nature of volcanoes and their ability to saturate sensor channels, especially those spanning through the infrared wavelengths that are sensitive to magmatic temperatures. We propose a new approach based on the Grey-body Emissivity Method and the similar atmospheric transmissivity of wavelengths within the thermal infrared (TIR) region at around 10-12 μm. This has allowed approximate temperature estimates of Lascar volcano to be made using ASTER bands 13 and 14. We find that eruptive events are generally associated with increases in temperature, which have been attributed to degassing events. The youngest temperature estimates show the summit crater has ceased to display elevated temperatures, this has followed the longest and warmest eruptive period. Thermal maps, created over Lascar's edifice, provide constraints on the spatial extent of the heat source. Future amendments to the model, so that atmospheric effects are quantitatively incorporated, are likely to allow the additional detection of temperatures at low altitudes as well.

We undertook a study to determine if the automatic detection and counting of vehicle passengers is feasible. An automated passenger counting system would greatly facilitate the operation of freeway lanes reserved for car-pools (HOV lanes). In the present paper we report our findings regarding the appropriate sensor phenomenology and arrangement for the task. We propose a novel system based on fusion of near-infrared imaging signals and we demonstrate its adequacy with theoretical and experimental arguments.

Survey (USGS), and other government and non-government organizations to discuss strategies for overcoming data gaps that may occur in satellite sensor observations. Developing and implementing effective strategies requires considerable forethought because the requirements of high accuracy for observing climate change are applicable through any data gap and are critical for maintaining irrefutable climate records. Drs. Raju Datla of the Optical Technology Division at NIST, Changyong Cao of the Center for Satellite Applications and Research (STAR) of NOAA, and James Butler of NASA Goddard Space Flight Center organized the workshop on behalf of their respective agencies to address the problem and recommend strategies for future planning. The one-day workshop began with invited talks in the morning session and concluded in the afternoon with discussions and consensus recommendations.

1 This report is based on the experiences of the past and present staff at NIST Optical Technology Division and NASA Goddard Space Flight Center who worked on NASA/ EOS and experts at NOAA on radiometric calibrations for remote sensing for the last two decades. Therefore, the information provided and discussed happened to be specific to these organizations. However, the best practice guidelines are generally applicable for all organizations towards climate quality data from satellite sensors. Cloud cover (Fraction of sky Feedback 0.01 0.003 covered)

A high-performance Raman lidar operating in the UV portion of the spectrum has been used to acquire, for the first time using a single lidar, simultaneous airborne profiles of the water vapor mixing ratio, aerosol backscatter, aerosol extinction, aerosol depolarization and research mode measurements of cloud liquid water, cloud droplet radius, and number density. The Raman Airborne Spectroscopic Lidar (RASL) system was installed in a Beechcraft King Air B200 aircraft and was flown over the mid-Atlantic United States during July–August 2007 at altitudes ranging between 5 and 8 km. During these flights, despite suboptimal laser performance and subaperture use of the telescope, all RASL measurement expectations were met, except that of aerosol extinction. Following the Water Vapor Validation Experiment—Satellite/Sondes (WAVES_2007) field campaign in the summer of 2007, RASL was installed in a mobile trailer for ground-based use during the Measurements of Humidity and Validation Experim...

The Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) is a research facility instrument provided by the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI), Tokyo, Japan to be launched on NASA's Earth Observing System morning (EOS-AM1) platform in 1998. ASTER has three spectral bands in the visible near-infrared (VNIR), six bands in the shortwave infrared (SWIR), and five bands in the thermal infrared (TIR) regions, with 15-, 30-, and 90-m ground resolution, respectively. The VNIR subsystem has one backward-viewing band for stereoscopic observation in the along-track direction. Because the data will have wide spectral coverage and relatively high spatial resolution, we will be able to discriminate a variety of surface materials and reduce problems in some lower resolution data resulting from mixed pixels. ASTER will, for the first time, provide high-spatial resolution multispectral thermal infrared data from orbit and the highest spatial resolution surface spectral reflectance temperature and emissivity data of all of the EOS-AM1 instruments. The primary science objective of the ASTER mission is to improve understanding of the local-and regional-scale processes occurring on or near the earth's surface and lower atmosphere, including surface-atmosphere interactions. Specific areas of the science investigation include the following: 1) land surface climatology; 2) vegetation and ecosystem dynamics; 3) volcano monitoring; 4) hazard monitoring; 5) aerosols and clouds; 6) carbon cycling in the marine ecosystem; 7) hydrology; 8) geology and soil; and 9) land surface and land cover change. There are three categories of ASTER data: a global map, regional monitoring data sets, and local data sets to be obtained for requests from individual investigators. The ASTER instrument will have a limited (8%) duty cycle. Prioritization of data acquisition requests will be based on such factors as data category, user category, and science discipline.

Earlier researchers were able to extract the transient facial thermal features from thermal infrared images (TIRIs) to make binary distinctions between the expressions of affective states. However, effective human-computer interaction would require machines to distinguish between the subtle facial expressions of affective states. This work, for the first time, attempts to use the transient facial thermal features for recognizing a much wider range of facial expressions. A database of 324 time-sequential, visible-spectrum, and thermal facial images was developed representing different facial expressions from 23 participants in different situations. A novel facial thermal feature extraction, selection, and classification approach was developed and invoked on various Gaussian mixture models constructed using: neutral and pretended happy and sad faces, faces with multiple positive and negative facial expressions, faces with neutral and six (pretended) basic facial expressions, and faces...

Wavefront coding is a hybrid optical-digital imaging system technique which generates aberrations using a phase mask or a phase generating device at the exit pupil of an optical system in order to extend its depth of focus. The optical system generates an intermediate low-quality image blurred by the aberrations of the added phase and, a sharp final image is obtained by a deconvolution process involving the optical transfer function (OTF) of the whole optical system at the image plane. Many shapes for the added phase have been proposed and they differ among each other in the quality of the decoded images within a given depth of focus as well as the noise and artifacts transferred to the postprocessed image. In this work, we will present a new set of phase masks based on Jacobi-Fourier polynomials and show the advantages and disadvantages comparing with the commonly used trefoil aberration.

Extreme environments like active volcanoes exhibit many difficulties in being studied by in situ techniques. For example, during eruptions, summit areas are very hard to be accessed because of logistics problems and/or volcanic hazards. The use of remote sensing techniques in the last 20 years by satellite or airborne platforms has proven their capabilities in mapping and monitoring the evolution of volcanic activity. This approach has become increasingly important, as much interest is actually focused on understanding precursory signals to volcanic eruptions. In this work we verify the use of cutting-edge technology like unmanned flying system thermally equipped for volcanic applications. We present the results of a flight test performed by INGV in collaboration with the University of Bologna (Aerospace Division) by using a multi-rotor aircraft in a hexacopter configuration. The experiment was realized in radio controlled mode to overcome many regulation problems which, especially in Italy, limit the use of this system in autonomous mode. The overall goal was not only qualitative but also quantitative oriented. The system flew above an Italian mud volcano, named Le Salinelle, located on the lower South West flank of Mt. Etna volcano, which was chosen as representative site, providing not only a discrimination between hot and cold areas, but also the corresponding temperature values. The in-flight measurements have been cross-validated with contemporaneous in-situ acquisition of thermal data and from independent measurements of mud/water temperature.

On August 7, 2014, a new effusive vent opened on the northern flank of Stromboli. A characteristic pattern was observed in both seismic and infrasonic signal amplitudes prior to this effusive eruption. The pattern consisted of the repeating cycle: (1) quiet phase, (2) puffing phase, and (3) explosion phase. Correlation between seismic and infrasound signal suggests that pulses in the puffing phase were caused by repetitive bursts of small gas pockets at the central crater, while the explosion phase coincided with an explosion at the central crater. We show that degassing of the magma column occurred in cycles of increasing gas flux, which controlled the transition from a bubbly flow (puffing phase), to a slug flow (explosion phase) gas regime. The quiet phase was characterized by a constant time length of 150 s, indicating that the gas rose in the magma column as well-organized waves of gas layers. These cycles represent cyclic changes of the gas flux regime in the shallow magma col...

In recent years, the extreme eutrophication of the Salton Sea has been associated with massive fish kills and associated bird kills. Analysis of the magnitude and direction of high wind events indicates that major fish kills are preceded by strong and persistent wind events, with a 24-h accumulated wind magnitude above a critical threshold of approximately 90 m/s. Twelve of the 14 cases of reported fish kills analyzed were found to be preceded by such wind conditions. The winds could potentially produce upwellings of hypolimnetic water at the upwind end of the Sea, resulting in the entire water column being low in dissolved oxygen and high in concentrations of hydrogen sulfide and ammonium. Remotely sensed thermal infrared data from the MODIS instrument on the Terra satellite was available for 5 of the 14 fish kills analyzed. Evaluation of satellite-derived surface temperature maps for these 5 fish kills shows that upwellings did take place after the wind events, affecting a large fraction of the Sea's area. The location of the upwelling and the fish kills coincided in all cases, confirming the relationship among wind patterns, upwellings, and fish kills in the Salton Sea. The importance of physically mediated processes, such as upwellings, need to be considered in evaluating future remediation strategies for the Salton Sea.

High spatial resolution thermal infrared satellite images acquired 38 minutes apart from Landsat ETM+ and ASTER were used to measure the surface currents and circulation in Lake Tahoe, California‐Nevada, USA. Mean currents of 5–10 cm/s were measured, with maximum currents approaching 35 cm/s. The eastward transport of an upwelling surface jet was clearly apparent, with 15–30 cm/s currents. Three gyres were evident in the vector fields. The satellite image‐derived surface currents and circulation patterns are consistent with surface drifter measurements acquired during a different period. These results modify the findings of an earlier study using 1.1 km AVHRR imagery, which concluded there were two counter‐rotating gyres in the opposite sense to the two dominant large gyres measured in this study. The high spatial resolution and small time separation allow the surface currents and general circulation in lakes and coastal environments to be accurately quantified using the maximum cro...

Retrieving information about the surface composition of Mercury from visual or infrared remote sensing data is a challenging task. Apart from observational difficulties, the high temperatures on the surface of Mercury affect the spectral characteristics of the constituent minerals. In order to address the latter issue we have used measurements of spectra of thermally cycled minerals taken at DLR's Planetary Emissivity Laboratory to analyze spectral reflectance data obtained during the first two Mercury flybys of Mercury by the MESSENGER spacecraft. Here we use the retrieved compositions to simulate spectra at mid-infrared wavelengths for comparison with future observations by the ESA BepiColombo mission and with ground-based observations.

Dome C CONCORDIA is the best ground site to perform deep, large scale, diffraction limited imaging surveys in the thermal infrared, in particular in the K d and L bands. A first iteration of a roadmap that could lead to the set up of a dedicated survey telescope (AMIDST concept) is briefly outlined.

Observations of 13 CO 2 at 73 sites compiled in the GLOBALVIEW database are used for an additional constraint in a global atmospheric inversion of the surface CO 2 flux using CO 2 observations at 210 sites for the 2002-2004 period for 39 land regions and 11 ocean regions. This constraint is implemented using the 13 CO 2 /CO 2 flux ratio modeled with a terrestrial ecosystem model and an ocean model. These models simulate 13 CO 2 discrimination rates of terrestrial photosynthesis and respiration and ocean-atmosphere diffusion processes. In both models, the 13 CO 2 disequilibrium between fluxes to and from the atmosphere is considered due to the historical change in atmospheric 13 CO 2 concentration. For the 2002-2004 period, the 13 CO 2 constraint on the inversion increases the total land carbon sink from 3.40 to 3.70 Pg C yr -1 and decreases the total oceanic carbon sink from 1.48 to 1.12 Pg C yr -1 . The largest changes occur in tropical areas: a considerable decrease in the carbon source in the Amazon forest, and this decrease is mostly compensated by increases in the ocean region immediately west of the Amazon and the southeast Asian land region. Our further investigation through different treatments of the 13 CO 2 /CO 2 flux ratio used in the inversion suggests that variable spatial distributions of the 13 CO 2 isotopic discrimination rate simulated by the models over land and ocean have considerable impacts on the spatial distribution of the inverted CO 2 flux over land and the inversion results are not sensitive to errors in the estimated disequilibria over land and ocean.

Night vision systems in vehicles are a new emerging technology. A crucial problem in active (laserbased) systems is distortion of images by saturation and blooming due to strong retroreflections from road signs. We quantify this phenomenon. We measure the Mueller matrices and the polarization state of the reflected light from three different types of road sign commonly used. Measurements of the reflected intensity are also taken with respect to the angle of reflection. We find that different types of sign have different reflection properties. It is concluded that the optimal solution for attenuating the retroreflected intensity is using a linear polarized light source and a linear polarizer with perpendicular orientation (with regard to the source) at the detector. Unfortunately, while this solution performs well for two types of road sign, it is less efficient for the third sign type.

The wind-driven circulation in the Senegalese upwelling system is investigated using ROMS. The model is initialized and forced at its lateral boundaries with the ECCO model decadal outputs (horizontal currents, temperature, salinity, sea surface height), at the surface with QuikSCAf daily winds over 2000-2004 and WRF wind for one experiment. The model is forced with climatological heat and salinity fluxes from COADS. The Cap Vert peninsula subdivides the Senegalese ecosystem into two distinct regions. When there is upwelling, the structure of the surface water on each side of the Cape differs. To its north the structure of the upwelling is classical with low SST at the &#39;coast and increases offshore whereas at the south the upwelling core is in the middle of the continental shelf with lowest SST, increasing in both offshore and onshore. The ROMS model outputs are in good agreement with MODIS sea surface temperature observations and reproduce the seasonal cycle rather well. Using ...

We measured the efficiency of a reflective echelle grating that was specially coated in order to reduce the polarization of the diffracted light. The standard coated grating can be used between approximately 350 and 1200 nm for diffraction orders between 14 and 5. In these orders, the standard grating can be strongly polarized (up to ∼80%), which impacts its usability in spectro-polarimetric instruments. The adoption of the shadow-cast coating technique, which implies selectively depositing the reflective coating exclusively onto the blazed facets, can significantly reduce the polarization of the grating while preserving its average efficiency.

HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access archive for the deposit and dissemination of scientific research documents, whether they are published or not. The documents may come from teaching and research institutions in France or abroad, or from public or private research centers. L'archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, émanant des établissements d'enseignement et de recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires publics ou privés.

A method for estimating areal evapotranspiration by using synoptical weather data and satellite imagery is presented. Recent studies have shown that if atmospheric and surface parameters are known, the energy and hydraulic budgets at the soil/vegetation]atmosphere interface can be simulated. Then, soil temperature estimated by thermal infrared remote sensing can be used to derive the energy fluxes as far as they are the equilibrium term of the energy budget. This methodology has been applied in southwestern Finland over the Eurajoki River basin. The model was first calibrated with ground measurements and satellite data. The NDVI and the surface temperature estimated from NOAA/AVHRR data have been used to calibrate the leaf area index and the minimum resistance to evapotranspiration. The different land use classes over the river basin were interpreted from LANDSAT/TM images, and the model was then run over the whole month of July 1988 for all the most important soil and vegetation types of the river basin. Finally, the total derived evaporation was compared with the one estimated by a water balance method applied over the month of July.

A method for estimating areal evapotranspiration by using synoptical weather data and satellite imagery is presented. Recent studies have shown that if atmospheric and surface parameters are known, the energy and hydraulic budgets at the soil/vegetation]atmosphere interface can be simulated. Then, soil temperature estimated by thermal infrared remote sensing can be used to derive the energy fluxes as far as they are the equilibrium term of the energy budget. This methodology has been applied in southwestern Finland over the Eurajoki River basin. The model was first calibrated with ground measurements and satellite data. The NDVI and the surface temperature estimated from NOAA/AVHRR data have been used to calibrate the leaf area index and the minimum resistance to evapotranspiration. The different land use classes over the river basin were interpreted from LANDSAT/TM images, and the model was then run over the whole month of July 1988 for all the most important soil and vegetation types of the river basin. Finally, the total derived evaporation was compared with the one estimated by a water balance method applied over the month of July.

HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access archive for the deposit and dissemination of scientific research documents, whether they are published or not. The documents may come from teaching and research institutions in France or abroad, or from public or private research centers. L'archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, émanant des établissements d'enseignement et de recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires publics ou privés.

The purpose of the paper concerns remote sensing data assimilation in physically based models by the way off a multiobjective calibration procedure. Generally, the calibration of Soil Vegetation Atmosphere Transfer (SVAT) models consists in determining the best parameter set in terms of model performances. Due to model structural uncertainty and to errors on the observations, such a determination of a unique parameter set is generally impossible. This problem of non-uniqueness of the solution can be investigated by a multiobjective approach, in which different objective functions are optimised simultaneously. In this context, we developed a multiobjective approach allowing to combine sensitivity analyses and an iterative optimisation procedure of the model parameters in terms of uncertainty ranges. This paper investigates the potentialities of such a calibration approach in a remote sensing context, in order to drive SVAT models only by the way of remote sensing observations. The co...

This paper describes the capabilities of a nadir thermal infrared (TIR) sensor proposed for deployment onboard a geostationary platform to monitor ozone (O 3 ) and carbon monoxide (CO) for air quality (AQ) purposes. To assess the capabilities of this sensor we perform idealized retrieval studies considering typical atmospheric profiles of O 3 and CO over Europe with different instrument configuration (signal to noise ratio, SNR, and spectral sampling interval, SSI) using the KOPRA forward model and the KOPRA-fit retrieval scheme. We then select a configuration, referred to as GEO-TIR, optimized for providing information in the lowermost troposphere (LmT; 0-3 km in height). For the GEO-TIR configuration we obtain ∼1.5 degrees of freedom for O 3 and ∼2 for CO at altitudes between 0 and 15 km. The error budget of GEO-TIR, calculated using the principal contributions to the error (namely, temperature, measurement error, smoothing error) shows that information in the LmT can be achieved by GEO-TIR. We also retrieve analogous profiles from another geostationary infrared instrument with SNR and SSI similar to the Meteosat Third Generation Infrared Sounder (MTG-IRS) which is dedicated to numerical weather prediction, referred to as GEO-TIR2. We quantify the added value of GEO-TIR over GEO-TIR2 for a realistic atmosphere, simulated using the chemistry transport model MOCAGE (MOdèle de Chimie Atmospherique à Grande Echelle). Results show that GEO-TIR is able