Ecosystem Imaging Spectrometer Mission ECOSAT

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Ecosystem Imaging Spectrometer Mission ECOSAT

• A Spaceborne Hyperspectral Instrument with AVIRIS
  Quality Data
• Susan L. Ustin, Gregory Asner,
• Robert O. Green, and Dar A. Roberts

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ECOSat Science Mission

• Primary Forcings of the Earth System
• How is the Earth surface being transformed, and
  how can this information be used to predict
  future changes?
• Map the type, distribution, and amount of
  vegetation and coastal plankton.

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ECOSat Science Mission

• Earth System Responses and Feedback Processes
• How do ecosystems respond to and affect global
  environmental change and the carbon cycle?
• Terrestrial coastal ecosystems interact with
• biogeochemical cycles
• carbon sequestration
• and ecosystem services?

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ECOSAT Science Team
Ecosystem Science
Modeling
Spectroscopy
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ECOSAT Science Team

• Ecosystem Science
• Jim Randerson (Cal Tech)
• Inez Fung (U California)
• Greg Asner (U Colorado)
• Christopher Field (Stanford)
• Laurie Richardson (Florida Int. U)
• Dave Schimel (NCAR)
• Mary-Elena Carr, and Sassan Satchi (JPL)

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ECOSAT Science Team

• Ecosystem and Trace Gas Modeling
• Inez Fung (U California)
• Christopher Field (Stanford)
• Jim Randerson (Cal Tech)
• Dave Schimel (NCAR)

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ECOSAT Science Team

• Spectroscopy
• Yoram Kaufman, C.J. (Jim) Tucker (GSFC)
• Dar Roberts (U California)
• Curt Davis (Naval Research Lab)
• Robert Green,
• Pantazis Zakos Mouroulis (JPL).

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Spectral Test Bed

• Space-qualified sensor
• Methodology developed from AVIRIS
• Demonstrate technologies directly applicable to
  NASA missions

• VNIR/SWIR Imaging Spectrometer
• 0.4-2.5 micron, 6.5 nm sampling
• 250
• 100watts

Radiator
AVIRIS data cube Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, 4/12/00
Electronics
Testbed structure
Spectrometer
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Monitoring Desertification in Arid Regions
Changes in Ecosystem Structure Invasion of
grasslands by shrubs
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Ecosystem Goods and Services

• Impacts of Invasive
• Species

Yellow Star Thistle 1984-1990

• Hydrology
• Carbon Storage
• Biogeochemical Cycles
• Wildfire Frequency
• Wildlife Habitat
• Endangered Species

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Species Identification Using Spectroscopy
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Mapping Chaparral Ecosystems
AVIRIS 20 m Data October 23, 1996
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Mapping Mixed Conifer Ecosystems
PSME Pseudotsuga menziesii (Douglas-fir) TSHE
Tsuga heterophylla (Western Hemlock) POTR
Populus trichocarpa (Cottonwood) ALRU Alnus
rubra (Red Alder) THPL Thuja plicata (Red
Cedar) ACMA Acer macrophyllum (Big leaf
maple) CONU Cornus nutallii (Dogwood) COCO
Corylus cornuta (Hazelnut)
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Biodiversity in Tropical Ecosystems
Image composite
Classified Forest Composition Map
30 m pixels
(Lucas et al., in press)
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Ecosystem Fragmentation

• Fragmentation Impacts

loss of connectivity altered forest
structure and age class distribution
sustainability of habitat altered
microclimates altered food web structure
30 m pixels
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Critical Ecosystem Sampling Strategy Formation
with Terra and TM
16 - 40 km x 80 km Scenes/day
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ECOSat Repeat Capability 3 day Revisit
40 km (nadir) swath One Day /- 35 deg off
nadir pointing
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Observations of Wildfires
Visible 500 nm 1000 nm
2000 nm
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Post Fire Recovery Calabasas Fire
Oct 23, 1996 April 7, 1997 May 18, 1998
Increasing Canopy Density From Liquid Water
Content
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Leaf Area is a Key Link to Ecosystem Processes
Leaf water provides a better measure of leaf area
than VIs.
Pacific Northwest Conifer Forests
LAI
(?m)
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Estimation of other physiological variables using
hyperspectral remote sensing
Chlab estimation by RT model inversion (r20
using NDVI)
Estimation of chlab with hyperspectral data by
SAILHPROSPECT model inversion using R750/R710
optical index in the merit function. The red edge
R750/R710 optical index used for model inversion
through canopy modelling was not affected when
all pixels are included in the averaged
reflectance from the 30x30 m study sites,
therefore including canopy shadows (Zarco-Tejada
et al., in press).

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ECOSat Radiometric Performance
AVIRIS Quality Spectrometer Signal to Noise Ratio
Signal/Noise
Wavelength, nm
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Soil Litter Cover Fractions
Jornada and Sevilleta LTER Sites
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Land-use Carbon Chemistry in Savannas
AVIRIS Collected in South Texas
Comparison to Field Data
Green Leaf Area Dry Carbon Load
(Asner et al. 1998)
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Land-use Carbon Chemistry in Amazonia
Comparison to Field Data
Young Pastures
Aging Pastures
Old Pastures
(Asner et al. 1999)
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Mapping Soil Chemistry and Texture

• Organic Matter

• Iron Content

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Sediment Transport and Hydrology
Natural Sediment Load Santa Barbara Coast
Mark Defeo
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Sediments from California Watersheds
Eel
Russian
Salinas
Santa Clara
Santa Ana
Mertes and Warrick (in review)
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AVIRIS Maps of Phytoplankton
Florida Bay
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Phytoplankton Community Composition
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Mission and Flight Systems Architecture

• Orbit 705 km. Circular, Crossing Near
  Landsat-7/Terra
• Lifetime 3 Years after 30 day checkout
• Launcher Consistant with AO - two Taurii,
  Pegasus XL, 1/2 Delta
• Mass Flight System - TBD, Instrument 94 kg,
  Spacecraft bus SMEX class
• Key S/C Requirements Prefer small launcher low
  cost to NASA 30 m spatial pixels, 41 node mode
  for S/N reduction 100 W to instrument
• Downlink 2 compressed scenes/orbit lt 200
  Gbits/day X-band D/L to polar stations, 160-320
  Mbps