Satellite AVHRR temperature measurements of Pools 4, 7, and 8 of the UMRS


Weinkauf, R. A. 1997. Satellite AVHRR temperature measurements of Pools 4, 7, and 8
of the Upper Mississippi River System. U.S. Geological Survey, Environmental
Management Technical Center, Onalaska, Wisconsin, November 1997. LTRMP
97-S007. 16 pp.  (NTIS #PB98-116973)


ABSTRACT

The polar-orbiting Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) was
evaluated as a means of detecting and measuring surface water temperatures of selected
Pools of the Upper Mississippi River System. In summer 1994 Pools 4, 7, and 8 were
monitored and, despite heavy cloud cover and fog, useful results were obtained. Satellite
mean temperatures were within about 1 Celsius degree of in situ temperature means for
nine observation dates for the three pools. A split window procedure, combining the
radiance of thermal infrared bands 4 and 5, greatly improved the accuracy of
temperature estimates. Routine temperature monitoring could become a reality when
some of the logistical problems encountered in this study are addressed. In particular
there is a need to establish improved locational control to tie AVHRR pixels more
accurately to their surface locations, to provide for systematic surface water data
collection on dates of imaging passes, and to link other variables such as water depth
and turbidity to the remote temperature measurements.


KEYWORDS

Advanced very high resolution radiometer (AVHRR), Environmental Management
Technical Center, Pools 4, 7, and 8, remote sensing of pool temperatures, satellite
remote sensing, Upper Mississippi River System