Polarized Lidar Reflectance Measurements of Vegetation at Near-Infrared and Green Wavelengths

There is growing interest in the use of lidar for remote sensing of vegetation owing to the emergence of reliable and rugged lasers and highly sensitive detectors. Lidar remote sensing has a distinct advantage over conventional techniques in vegetation remote sensing due to its capability for three-dimensional characterization of vegetative targets. The Multiwavelength Airborne Polarimetric Lidar (MAPL) system was developed primarily for vegetation remote sensing applications from an airborne platform of up to 1,000 -m altitude. The lidar system has full waveform capture and polarimetric measurement capability at two wavelengths in the near-infrared (1064 nm) and the green (532 nm) spectral regions. This study presents preliminary ground-based lidar reflectance measurements on a variety of deciduous and coniferous trees under fully foliated conditions with a view towards tree species discrimination. Variations in the reflectance characteristics of selected deciduous trees under unfoliated and fully foliated conditions were also investigated. Our study reveals distinct differences in the reflectance characteristics of various trees.     

Static headspace analysis of volatile organic compounds in soil and vegetation samples for site characterization

Traditional methodologies for the characterization of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in subsurface soil are expensive, time-consuming processes that are often conducted on samples collected at random. The determination of VOCs in near-surface soils and vegetation is the foundation for a more efficient sampling strategy to characterize subsurface soil and improve understanding of environmental problems.In the absence of a standard methodology for the determination of VOCs in vegetation and in view of the high detection limits of the method for soils, we developed a methodology using headspace gas chromatography with an electron capture detector for the determination of low levels (parts-per-billion to parts-per-trillion) of VOCs in soils and vegetation. The technique demonstrates good sensitivity, good recoveries of internal standards and surrogate compounds, good performance, and minimal waste. A case study involving application of this technique as a first-step vadose-zone characterization methodology is presented.     

Stochastic radiative transfer model for mixture of discontinuous vegetation canopies

Modeling of the radiation regime of a mixture of vegetation species is a fundamental problem of the Earth's land remote sensing and climate applications. The major existing approaches, including the linear mixture model and the turbid medium (TM) mixture radiative transfer model, provide only an approximate solution to this problem. In this study, we developed the stochastic mixture radiative transfer (SMRT) model, a mathematically exact tool to evaluate radiation regime in a natural canopy with spatially varying optical properties, that is, canopy, which exhibits a structured mixture of vegetation species and gaps. The model solves for the radiation quantities, direct input to the remote sensing/climate applications: mean radiation fluxes over whole mixture and over individual species. The canopy structure is parameterized in the SMRT model in terms of two stochastic moments: the probability of finding species and the conditional pair-correlation of species. The second moment is responsible for the 3D radiation effects, namely, radiation streaming through gaps without interaction with vegetation and variation of the radiation fluxes between different species. We performed analytical and numerical analysis of the radiation effects, simulated with the SMRT model for the three cases of canopy structure: (a) non-ordered mixture of species and gaps (TM); (b) ordered mixture of species without gaps; and (c) ordered mixture of species with gaps. The analysis indicates that the variation of radiation fluxes between different species is proportional to the variation of species optical properties (leaf albedo, density of foliage, etc.) Gaps introduce significant disturbance to the radiation regime in the canopy as their optical properties constitute major contrast to those of any vegetation species. The SMRT model resolves deficiencies of the major existing mixture models: ignorance of species radiation coupling via multiple scattering of photons (the linear mixture model) or overestimation of this coupling due to neglecting spatial clumping of species (the TM approach). Thus, based on the former experience with mixture modeling, this study establishes an advanced theoretical basis for future mixture applications.     

Assessing and predicting changes in vegetation cover associated with military land use activities using field monitoring data at Fort Hood, Texas

We assessed short-term impacts of changes in military training load on vegetative cover at Fort Hood, TX. From 1989 to 1995, permanent field transects were monitored for vegetative cover and land use disturbance using standard army monitoring methods [Land Condition Trend Analysis (LCTA)]. Land use intensity (training load) was quantified and used to develop a model to predict future vegetation cover values. We found that standard Army monitoring methods detected changes in installation resources associated with changes in training load. Increased training loads were associated with increased measures of disturbance, decreased ground cover, and decreased aerial vegetative cover. We found that the spatial pattern of disturbance and vegetation cover remained relatively constant over the study period despite large variations in overall training load. Our model used the consistency in spatial cover patterns over time and the strong relationship between training load and vegetation cover to predict the impact of future training loads on vegetation.     

基于小波分析的马铃薯地上生物量估算

地上生物量（AGB）是作物长势评价及产量预测的重要指标,因此快速准确地估算AGB至关重要。由于传统植被指数（VIs）估算多生育期的AGB存在饱和现象,因此,利用VIs结合基于离散小波转换（DWT）的影像小波分解（IWD）技术提取的高频信息和连续小波转换（CWT）技术提取的小波系数,探究VIs,VIs+IWD和VIs+CWT对于AGB的估算能力。首先,基于无人机平台分别获取马铃薯现蕾期、块茎形成期、块茎增长期、淀粉积累期的数码影像和成像高光谱影像以及地面实测的AGB数据。其次,利用数码影像通过IWD技术提取3种高频信息和利用高光谱反射率数据通过CWT技术提取小波系数以及构建6种高光谱植被指数。然后,将植被指数、高频信息和小波系数分别与AGB进行相关性分析,并挑选出不同尺度下相关系数绝对值较高的前10波段。最后,以VIs,VIs+IWD和VIs+CWT这3种变量分别使用偏最小二乘回归（PLSR）方法构建AGB估算模型,并对比不同模型估算AGB的效果。结果表明: （1）每个生育期选取的6种植被指数、3种高频信息和10种小波系数与AGB的相关性均达到0.01显著水平,整个生育期相关性均呈现先升高后降低的趋势,其中以小波系数得到的相关性最高、高频信息次之,植被指数最低。（2）对比分析每个生育期的3种估算模型,以VIs+CWT为输入变量的估算效果最好,VIs+IWD的估算效果次之,而VIs的估算效果最差,说明基于小波分析构建的模型适用性较广、稳定性较强。（3）每个生育期分别以3种变量利用PLSR方法构建的AGB估算模型均在块茎增长期达到最高精度（VIs：建模R2=0.70,RMSE=98.88 kg·hm-12,NRMSE=11.63%;VIs+IWD：建模R2=0.78,RMSE=86.45 kg·hm-12,NRMSE=10.17%;VIs+CWT：建模R2=0.85,RMSE=74.25 kg·hm-12,NRMSE=9.27%）。通过VIs分别结合IWD和CWT技术利用PLSR建模方法,可以提高AGB估算精度,为农业指导管理提供可靠参考。     

Next-generation NATO reference mobility model complex terramechanics – Part 2: Requirements and prototype

In part 2 of this paper, the Complex Terramechanics (CT) software tools requirements recommended by the NATO research task group RTG-248 are presented along with example simulations from a CT prototype software tool which attempts to satisfy the requirements.     

煤炭矿区植被冠层光谱土地复垦敏感性分析

煤矿区土地复垦及复垦监测工作,对于我国土地利用和生态环境治理具有重要意义。微生物复垦技术能够促进植物吸收利用矿质养分和水分,增强土壤肥力,对矿区生态恢复具有显著作用。监测和评价土地复垦效应对植物生长影响的传统方法,通常采用野外采集植物和土壤样本并进行室内分析,但这些方法不仅破坏植物根系原状土壤,造成植株损伤,而且耗费人力、物力,时效性差。高光谱遥感技术具有数据获取速度快、信息量大、精度高且无须离体破坏植株等优点,对于土地复垦监测有非常大的潜力。目前,土地复垦效应遥感监测相关研究仍以观测盆栽大豆、玉米等作物的叶片光谱分析为主。实际上,卫星遥感数据观测到的是冠层光谱,并非叶片光谱,但目前还没有通过植被冠层光谱对矿区土地复垦进行监测的研究成果出现。植被冠层光谱不仅受到叶片光谱的影响,还受到植株长势、下垫面等其他因素的影响,光谱特征变化更为复杂。矿区植被冠层光谱特征对于土地复垦效应的敏感度分析,是对矿区植被理化参量进行定量反演的基础,也是限制高光谱技术应用于大面积土地复垦监测的主要瓶颈。于煤炭矿区土地复垦实验基地开展野外冠层光谱观测实验,获取了接菌组和对照组野外植株冠层光谱数据,并从光谱波形变化和光谱特征参量变化两方面综合分析了植被冠层光谱对土地复垦的敏感性。冠层光谱波形方面,分别采用标准差和光谱敏感度作为组内和组间光谱波形差异的有效指标;冠层光谱特征参量方面,选取了植被红边、黄边、蓝边、绿峰、红谷等典型光谱特征,计算获取其位置、斜率、面积等特征参量,并通过描述性统计和单因素方差分析研究了这些冠层光谱特征参量对土地复垦效应的敏感性,挑选出矿区土地复垦监测的有效特征参量。研究表明,接菌组和对照组冠层光谱的主要波形变化趋势一致,但接菌组植株的生长状况更稳定,不同植株之间差异较小,且绿峰和红谷两个特征更突出。这说明土地复垦能够减少植株间冠层光谱差异,增强植被典型光谱特征,而绿峰和红谷对土地复垦有较高的光谱敏感度。光谱特征参量方面,绿峰、红谷、红边波长在土地复垦作用下显著向长波方向移动,而此前叶片光谱研究中对土地复垦较敏感的红边、蓝边斜率变化并不显著。这说明,野外植被冠层光谱分析结果与实验室植被叶片光谱分析的结果并不完全一致,这可能和植被类型、生长周期、土壤背景光谱干扰等因素相关。在采用卫星或航拍遥感数据进行矿区植被环境监测时,所获取的都是植被冠层光谱,因此本研究所得到的结论具有更强的参考意义和实际应用价值。     

农作物冠层光谱信息检测技术及方法综述

相比传统的化学方法及主观视觉测定植物生理信息指标,通过光谱辐射仪对农作物冠层信息的评估更简单、快速和精确。本文结合近年来农作物群体信息的获取方法,综述了不同类型光谱仪尤其以国际上应用最广泛的Cropscan多光谱辐射仪在农作物群体叶面积指数、生物量、氮素及叶绿素的预测,病虫害的监测及产量预测中的应用。总结了不同类型的的植被指数(VIs)、冠层光谱的获取及光谱分析方法,比较了不同农作物建立相关模型的回归系数。总体上建立的数学模型的相关系数较高,能实现对农作物各种生理信息等的检测。此外,将多光谱辐射仪与多种传感器相结合所得到的综合信息对于全面评价农作物生长情况具有重要指导价值。     

基于天宫一号高光谱数据的荒漠化地区稀疏植被参量估测

为了精准地估测荒漠化地区的稀疏植被信息,选取内蒙古苏尼特右旗为研究区,以天宫一号高光谱数据为数据源,结合野外实地调查数据,通过归一化植被指数(normalized difference vegetation index, NDVI)和土壤调节植被指数(soil adjusted vegetation index, SAVI)对研究区内的植被覆盖度和生物量进行反演,并对比两种植被指数的优劣。首先,分析了每种波段组合下的植被指数与覆盖度、生物量的相关性,确定了最大相关的波段组合。覆盖度和生物量与NDVI的最大相关系数可达0.7左右,而与SAVI的最大相关系数可达0.8左右。NDVI的最佳波段组合的红光波段中心波长为630 nm,近红外波段的中心波长为910 nm,而SAVI的组合为620和920 nm。其次,分别构建了两种植被指数与覆盖度、生物量之间的线性回归模型,所建模型的R2均能达到0.5以上。SAVI所建模型R2要比NDVI略高,其中植被覆盖度的反演模型R2高达0.59。经留一交叉验证,SAVI所建模型的均方根误差RMSE也比基于NDVI的模型小。结果表明：天宫一号高光谱数据丰富的光谱信息能有效地反映地表植被的真实情况,并且SAVI比NDVI更能较为精准地估测荒漠化地区的稀疏植被信息。     

煤矿粉尘影响三种典型荒漠植被生长的高光谱指数研究

以新疆典型露天煤矿准东五彩湾开采区为研究区,选定并测定干旱煤矿区三种典型植物： 梭梭、假木贼和琵琶柴的冠层光谱,分析植被对煤炭粉尘的波谱响应,旨在研究露天煤炭开采引起的煤炭粉尘扩散对植被生长的影响.研究基于植被冠层实测光谱,提取19种常用的植物色素指数和水分指数,通过不同指数同煤炭粉尘降尘量的相关性的研究,探讨植被生长受损的关键参数及对煤炭粉尘影响敏感的指示性植被,为干旱煤矿区植被受损监测提供评价依据。结果表明： 在干旱露天煤矿区植被受到煤炭粉尘污染的过程中,从植被指数的角度可以间接确定,随着煤炭粉尘量的增加,叶绿素以及水分的含量会减少,而类胡萝卜素的含量会增加;植被体内的水分和叶绿素含量对煤炭粉尘量的响应较为敏感;在指示叶绿素(包括叶绿素a、叶绿素b和叶绿素)的指数中色素归一化指数b(PSNDb)敏感性较强;在指示类胡萝卜素的指数中结构不敏感色素指数(SIPI)敏感性较强;在指示水分的指数中植被水分指数(PWI)敏感性较强;三种植物中梭梭对煤炭粉尘量的增加较为敏感。