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Remote Sensing of Atlanta's Urban Sprawl and the Distribution of Land Cover and Surface TemperatureBetween 1973 and 1992, an average of 20 ha of forest was lost each day to urban expansion of Atlanta, Georgia. Urban surfaces have very different thermal properties than natural surfaces-storing solar energy throughout the day and continuing to release it as sensible heat well after sunset. The resulting heat island effect serves as catalysts for chemical reactions from vehicular exhaust and industrialization leading to a deterioration in air quality. In this study, high spatial resolution multispectral remote sensing data has been used to characterize the type, thermal properties, and distribution of land surface materials throughout the Atlanta metropolitan area. Ten-meter data were acquired with the Advanced Thermal and Land Applications Sensor (ATLAS) on May 11 and 12, 1997. ATLAS is a 15-channel multispectral scanner that incorporates the Landsat TM bands with additional bands in the middle reflective infrared and thermal infrared range. The high spatial resolution permitted discrimination of discrete surface types (e.g., concrete, asphalt), individual structures (e.g., buildings, houses) and their associated thermal characteristics. There is a strong temperature contrast between vegetation and anthropomorphic features. Vegetation has a modal temperature at about 20 C, whereas asphalt shingles, pavement, and buildings have a modal temperature of about 39 C. Broad-leaf vegetation classes are indistinguishable on a thermal basis alone. There is slightly more variability (+/-5 C) among the urban surfaces. Grasses, mixed vegetation and mixed urban surfaces are intermediate in temperature and are characterized by broader temperature distributions with modes of about 29 C. Thermal maps serve as a basis for understanding the distribution of "hotspots", i.e., how landscape features and urban fabric contribute the most heat to the lower atmosphere.
Document ID
20010059346
Acquisition Source
Marshall Space Flight Center
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Laymon, Charles A.
(Universities Space Research Association Huntsville, AL United States)
Estes, Maurice G., Jr.
(Universities Space Research Association Huntsville, AL United States)
Quattrochi, Dale A.
(NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Huntsville, AL United States)
Goodman, H. Michael
Date Acquired
August 20, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 2001
Subject Category
Environment Pollution
Meeting Information
Meeting: 97th Annual Meeting
Location: New York, NY
Country: United States
Start Date: February 28, 2001
End Date: March 3, 2001
Sponsors: Association of American Geographers
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.

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