NASA's Surface Biology and Geology Designated Observable: A Perspective on Surface Imaging Algorithms

Authors

• Kerry Cawse-Nicholson, California Institute of Technology
• Philip A. Townsend, University of Wisconsin
• David Schimel, California Institute of Technology
• Ali M. Assiri, Space and Aeronautics Research Institute
• Pamela L. Blake, The Boeing Company, Seal Beach, CA, USA
• Maria Fabrizia Buongiorno, Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Italy
• Petya Campbell, University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC)
• Nimrod Carmon, California Institute of Technology
• Kimberly A. Casey, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, MD, USA
• Rosa Elvira Correa-Pabón, Instituto Tecnológico Vale Mineração, Ouro Preto, Brazil
• Kyla M. Dahlin, Michigan State University
• Hamid Dashti, University of Arizona
• Philip E. Dennison, University of Utah
• Heidi Dierssen, University of Connecticut
• Adam Erickson, Universities Space Research Association (USRA), MD, USA
• Joshua B. Fisher, California Institute of Technology
• Robert Frouin, University of California San Diego
• Charles K. Gatebe, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA, USA
• Hamed Gholizadeh, Oklahoma State University
• Michelle Gierach, California Institute of Technology
• Nancy F. Glenn, University of New South Wales
• James A. Goodman, HySpeed Computing, Miami, FL, USA
• Daniel M. Griffith, U.S. Geological Survey, Western Geographic Science Center, Moffett Field, CA, USA
• Liane Guild, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA, USA
• Christopher R. Hakkenberg, Northern Arizona University
• Eric J. Hochberg, Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences
• Thomas R.H. Holmes, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, MD, USA
• Chuanmin Hu, University of South Florida
• Glynn Hulley, California Institute of Technology
• Karl F. Huemmrich, University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC)
• Raphael M. Kudela, University of California
• Raymond F. Kokaly, U.S. Geological Survey, Denver, CO, USA
• Christine M. Lee, California Institute of Technology
• Roberta Martin, Arizona State University
• Charles E. Miller, California Institute of Technology
• Wesley J. Moses, U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, D.C., USA
• Frank E. Muller-Karger, University of South FloridaFollow
• Joseph D. Ortiz, Kent State University
• Daniel B. Otis, University of South Florida
• Nima Pahlevan, Science Systems and Applications Inc., Lanham, MD, USA
• Thomas H. Painter, Joint Institute for Regional Earth System Science and Engineering
• Ryan Pavlick, California Institute of Technology
• Ben Poulter, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, MD, USA
• Yi Qi, University of Nebraska Lincoln
• Vincent J. Realmuto, California Institute of Technology
• Dar Roberts, University of California
• Michael E. Schaepman, University of Zurich
• Fabian D. Schneider, California Institute of Technology
• Florian M. Schwandner, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA, USA
• Shawn P. Serbin, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Environmental and Climate Sciences Department, Upton, NY, USA
• Alexey N. Shiklomanov, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, MD, USA
• E. Natasha Stavros, California Institute of Technology
• David R. Thompson, California Institute of Technology
• Juan L. Torres-Perez, Bay Area Environmental Research Institute
• Kevin R. Turpie, University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC)
• Maria Tzortziou, City University of New York
• Susan Ustin, University of California
• Qian Yu, University of Massachusetts
• Yusri Yusup, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia
• Qingyuan Zhang, Universities Space Research Association (USRA), MD, USA

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2021

Keywords

Hyperspectral, Remote sensing, Thermal infrared, Vegetation, Snow, Volcano, Aquatic

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2021.112349

Abstract

The 2017–2027 National Academies' Decadal Survey, Thriving on Our Changing Planet, recommended Surface Biology and Geology (SBG) as a “Designated Targeted Observable” (DO). The SBG DO is based on the need for capabilities to acquire global, high spatial resolution, visible to shortwave infrared (VSWIR; 380–2500 nm; ~30 m pixel resolution) hyperspectral (imaging spectroscopy) and multispectral midwave and thermal infrared (MWIR: 3–5 μm; TIR: 8–12 μm; ~60 m pixel resolution) measurements with sub-monthly temporal revisits over terrestrial, freshwater, and coastal marine habitats. To address the various mission design needs, an SBG Algorithms Working Group of multidisciplinary researchers has been formed to review and evaluate the algorithms applicable to the SBG DO across a wide range of Earth science disciplines, including terrestrial and aquatic ecology, atmospheric science, geology, and hydrology. Here, we summarize current state-of-the-practice VSWIR and TIR algorithms that use airborne or orbital spectral imaging observations to address the SBG DO priorities identified by the Decadal Survey: (i) terrestrial vegetation physiology, functional traits, and health; (ii) inland and coastal aquatic ecosystems physiology, functional traits, and health; (iii) snow and ice accumulation, melting, and albedo; (iv) active surface composition (eruptions, landslides, evolving landscapes, hazard risks); (v) effects of changing land use on surface energy, water, momentum, and carbon fluxes; and (vi) managing agriculture, natural habitats, water use/quality, and urban development. We review existing algorithms in the following categories: snow/ice, aquatic environments, geology, and terrestrial vegetation, and summarize the community-state-of-practice in each category. This effort synthesizes the findings of more than 130 scientists.

Rights Information

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

Was this content written or created while at USF?

Yes

Citation / Publisher Attribution

Remote Sensing of Environment, v. 257, art. 112349

Scholar Commons Citation

Cawse-Nicholson, Kerry; Townsend, Philip A.; Schimel, David; Assiri, Ali M.; Blake, Pamela L.; Buongiorno, Maria Fabrizia; Campbell, Petya; Carmon, Nimrod; Casey, Kimberly A.; Correa-Pabón, Rosa Elvira; Dahlin, Kyla M.; Dashti, Hamid; Dennison, Philip E.; Dierssen, Heidi; Erickson, Adam; Fisher, Joshua B.; Frouin, Robert; Gatebe, Charles K.; Gholizadeh, Hamed; Gierach, Michelle; Glenn, Nancy F.; Goodman, James A.; Griffith, Daniel M.; Guild, Liane; Hakkenberg, Christopher R.; Hochberg, Eric J.; Holmes, Thomas R.H.; Hu, Chuanmin; Hulley, Glynn; Huemmrich, Karl F.; Kudela, Raphael M.; Kokaly, Raymond F.; Lee, Christine M.; Martin, Roberta; Miller, Charles E.; Moses, Wesley J.; Muller-Karger, Frank E.; Ortiz, Joseph D.; Otis, Daniel B.; Pahlevan, Nima; Painter, Thomas H.; Pavlick, Ryan; Poulter, Ben; Qi, Yi; Realmuto, Vincent J.; Roberts, Dar; Schaepman, Michael E.; Schneider, Fabian D.; Schwandner, Florian M.; Serbin, Shawn P.; Shiklomanov, Alexey N.; Stavros, E. Natasha; Thompson, David R.; Torres-Perez, Juan L.; Turpie, Kevin R.; Tzortziou, Maria; Ustin, Susan; Yu, Qian; Yusup, Yusri; and Zhang, Qingyuan, "NASA's Surface Biology and Geology Designated Observable: A Perspective on Surface Imaging Algorithms" (2021). Marine Science Faculty Publications. 2200.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/msc_facpub/2200