Physical Basis of Remote Sensing

 Typical Energy Flow for passive remote sensing

GEO424 – Advanced Remote Sensing

Physical Basis of Remote Sensing
 Atmospheric interactions
 The earth’s atmosphere has a profound
effect on the intensity and spectral
composition of EMR passing through it,
mostly through the mechanisms of
scattering and absorption.

GEO424 – Advanced Remote Sensing

 Physical Basis of Remote Sensing
 What is the atmosphere made of?
 78% Nitrogen
 21% Oxygen
 0.9% Argon
 0.03% Carbon Dioxide
 Other gases
 Water vapor
 Dust, pollen, water droplets, bugs, bacteria,
birds, airplanes, blimps…

GEO424 – Advanced Remote Sensing

Physical Basis of Remote Sensing
 Atmospheric interactions
 Scattering is the unpredictable diffusion
of radiation by gases and solids in the
atmosphere.
 Three types of scattering

 Rayleigh
 Mie
 Nonselective

GEO424 – Advanced Remote Sensing

 Physical Basis of Remote Sensing
 Rayleigh scatter
 Due to molecular interactions

 particles << λ
 The effect is inversely proportional to
the fourth power of wavelength (λ-4)
 Shorter wavelengths are scattered much
more than longer wavelengths
 Blue sky and red/orange sunset effects

GEO424 – Advanced Remote Sensing

Physical Basis of Remote Sensing

GEO424 – Advanced Remote Sensing

Physical Basis of Remote Sensing

GEO424 – Advanced Remote Sensing

 Physical Basis of Remote Sensing

 If our atmosphere was a different

thickness, or made up of different stuff,
would our sky be a different color?

The Mars sky is really orange!

https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA01546

GEO424 – Advanced Remote Sensing

 Physical Basis of Remote Sensing
 Rayleigh
scattering

GEO424 – Advanced Remote Sensing

 Physical Basis of Remote Sensing
 Mie scatter
 Due to small particle interactions

 particles ≈ λ
 Wavelength dependence: λ-0.1 – λ-4
 Main causes:
 Water vapor
 Dust

GEO424 – Advanced Remote Sensing

 Physical Basis of Remote Sensing
 Mie scattering

GEO424 – Advanced Remote Sensing

 Physical Basis of Remote Sensing
 Nonselective scatter
 Due to large-particle interactions

 particles >> λ
 No wavelength dependence: λ0
 Main causes:
 Water droplets (particles = 5 – 100 µm)
 All visible through TIR wavelengths are scattered,
which is why clouds appear white (at least from
above)

GEO424 – Advanced Remote Sensing

 Physical Basis of Remote Sensing
 Nonselective
scatter

GEO424 – Advanced Remote Sensing

 Physical Basis of Remote Sensing
 Scattering
interactions
 UV and Blue
energy is
scattered 3 – 5
times more than
Red and
Infrared radiation.

GEO424 – Advanced Remote Sensing

Physical Basis of Remote Sensing

 Why is the sky blue?

 Why are sunsets red?
 Why are sunsets in more polluted
areas ‘prettier’?
 Why are clouds white on top?

GEO424 – Advanced Remote Sensing

 Physical Basis of Remote Sensing
 Atmospheric interactions
 Absorption is the thermodynamically
irreversible transformation of radiant
energy into heat
 Three main absorbing gases in the
atmosphere
 Water vapor (H2O)
 Carbon dioxide (CO2)
 Ozone (O3)

GEO424 – Advanced Remote Sensing

Physical Basis of Remote Sensing
 Absorption interactions
 These gases exhibit band-specific absorption
features which produce “atmospheric windows”

GEO424 – Advanced Remote Sensing

 Physical Basis of Remote Sensing
 Atmospheric windows
 One in the Visible – NIR (0.3 – 1.3 µm)

GEO424 – Advanced Remote Sensing

 Physical Basis of Remote Sensing
 Atmospheric windows
 Two in the SWIR (1.5-1.8 µm and 2.0-2.6 µm)

GEO424 – Advanced Remote Sensing

 Physical Basis of Remote Sensing
 Atmospheric windows
 Two in the TIR (3.5 – 5.0 µm and 8.0 – 14.0 µm)

GEO424 – Advanced Remote Sensing

 Physical Basis of Remote Sensing
 Atmospheric windows
 One in the microwave (λ > 5.5 mm)

GEO424 – Advanced Remote Sensing

 Physical Basis of Remote Sensing
 Atmospheric windows
 These are the only places in the spectrum
where high-altitude remote sensing can
be conducted.

Six atmospheric windows

GEO424 – Advanced Remote Sensing

 Physical Basis of Remote Sensing
 Atmospheric absorption features

GEO424 – Advanced Remote Sensing

 Physical Basis of Remote Sensing
 Atmospheric absorption features

Plots of 9 ratios of sequential irradiance spectra against the first spectrum. April 23,
1996, approx. one hour before local noon. Clear sky - visibility was at least 23 km.
10 spectra taken at 50 second intervals (450 sec total).

GEO424 – Advanced Remote Sensing

 Physical Basis of Remote Sensing
 Interaction of Sunlight (E↓) with earth features

 Reflected (ρ (rho) = reflectance)

 Transmitted (τ (tau) = transmittance)
 Absorbed (α (alpha) = absorptance)
 E(λ)↓ = Ερ (λ) + Ετ(λ) + Εα(λ)
 Ερ(λ) = Ε↓(λ) − [ Ετ(λ) + Εα(λ)]

GEO424 – Advanced Remote Sensing

 Physical Basis of Remote Sensing
 Sunlight isn’t equal across the spectrum!

GEO424 – Advanced Remote Sensing

Physical Basis of Remote Sensing
 Sunlight (solar spectrum)

Solar and Heliospheric

Observatory (SOHO)
image of the Sun –
September 14, 1999

Visible Infrared

GEO424 – Advanced Remote Sensing

Physical Basis of Remote Sensing
 Moonlight (lunar spectrum)

GEO424 – Advanced Remote Sensing

Physical Basis of Remote Sensing
 Moonlit image

Early on August 28, 2012, the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) on the
Suomi-NPP satellite captured this nighttime view of Tropical Storm Isaac and the cities
near the Gulf Coast of the United States. The clouds of Isaac were lit by moonlight.

GEO424 – Advanced Remote Sensing

Physical Basis of Remote Sensing
 Moonlit images

GEO424 – Advanced Remote Sensing