Multidate image analysis of forest degradation in Equatorial Africa |
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| Authors: | Susan M Berta John A Harrington Jr Paul W Mausel Robin Graham |
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| Institution: | 1. Indiana State University Remote Sensing Laboratory , Indiana State University , Terre Haute, IN, 47809, U.S.A.;2. Environmental Sciences Division , Oak Ridge National Laboratory , P.O.Box 2008, Oak Ridge, TN, 37831, U.S.A |
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| Abstract: | Abstract In this paper we process diachronic SPOT satellite images acquired with different viewing angles in order to assess the aerosol optical thickness (AOT) spatial distribution over Brescia. This urban area, located in Northern Italy, is subject to frequent visibility‐reducing smog episodes. AOT was calculated by using the Differential Textural Analysis (DTA) code on a satellite data series consisting by one pollution‐free and various pollution‐loaded SPOT images. The resulting maps showed the horizontal distribution of AOT with a resolution of 500 metres. These maps can be readily integrated with the results obtained by mesoscale modelling, ground measurements, and respond to local scale application requirements. Satellite AOT retrieval compared successfully with available AOT ground‐based measurements and with pollution measurements in the ambient air. In this study the use of diachronic multiangle SPOT imagery allowed us to analyse the effect of the viewing angle variation on AOT retrieval accuracy based on the contrast reduction method. |
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