Pacific Rim AIRSAR Campaign: Science Objectives
Revision 5.0/December 28, 1996
This documentprovides a summary of the science objectives that will be addressed with the POLSAR and TOPSAR data collected on the AIRSAR deployment to the Pacific Rim from October 29 to December 16, 1996. The PacRim Deployment is part of NASA's Mission to Planet Earth (MTPE) Program.
Data were collected over ten countries during the seven-week deployment. Study sites in each country were proposed by participating agencies from that country and also by NASA Principal Investigators (PIs). The information presented in this document has been culled from the proposals submitted by the countries and the PIs. Sites are discussed in the approximate order they were flown during PacRim Deployment. The As-Flown Timeline gives a summary of the deployment calendar. All of the sites where data were collected are not included in this science objectives document. It will be updated; additional information, web links or corrections are appreciated.
To go to a specific country directly, click here:
Topics to be addressed with the AIRSAR data from the Pacific Rim campaign include:
wetlands and peat swamp characterization
mangrove forest mapping and monitoring
floodplain morphology
archeology/cultural resource management
crop classification
forest classification
deforestation and regrowth monitoring
biodiversity
soil moisture estimation
geologic mapping
Digital Elevation Model (DEM) generation
volcano hazards
coastline monitoring
mountain road planning and rehabilitation
differential penetration of vegetation canopies
Along-Track Interferometry
carbon dynamics of indigenous rainforests
In addition to the AIRSAR, three other science instruments were flown
as part of the Pacific Rim mission. These are TIMS (Thermal Infrared Mapper
- example TIMS images),
AES (Airborne Emission Spectrometer)
and Cloud Radar. Typically, TIMS and AES collected data simultaneously
over the same sites. The main objective of the AES measurements is to provide
temperature and humidity profiles for the TIMS imaging of SO 2
concentrations in volcanic gas plumes. AES also measures gas ratios such
as HCl: SO 2.
Hawaii
Parts of three Hawaiian islands, Oahu, Maui, and Hawaii, were imaged en route to and from southeast Asia.
One site on Oahu was requested by Dr. Howard Zebker of Stanford University. The Oahu site is located on the summit of the Koolau Mountains, covers the vegetation gradient up the sides of the mountains. These data will be used to study differential penetration of TOPSAR data (C- and L-band) through distinct vegetation density gradients.
There are six sites on the big island of Hawaii. The Kohala Ocean, off the northwestern tip of the island, was imaged as part of an Along-Track Interferometry (ATI) study. These data were requested by Dr. Pierre Flament of the University of Hawaii and Dr. David Imel of JPL. ATI is a way of obtaining high resolution measurements of the radial component of the surface current. High resolution surface current measurements are important to studies of mesoscale ocean circulation, the coastal environment and shipping applications. An improved navigation/positioning system has been installed in the past year and these new data will be a significant improvement over previously collected ATI data.
Three long transects were collected on and around Mauna Kea volcano. The first of these transects, requested by Dr. Peter Mouginis-Mark of the University of Hawaii, passes directly over the summit of Mauna Kea and coincides with topographic data collected by the Shuttle Laser Altimeter (SLA). TOPSAR data will be compared to existing SLA data and to previously collected SIR-C repeat track interferometry data.
Two other transects, one along the north shore of Hawaii and the other from Kohala Volcano in the northwest, to the saddle between Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea, were collected for geomorphology studies conducted by Dr. Oliver Chadwick of the University of California, Santa Barbara. Data from these lines will be used to study erosion patterns on the windward and leeward sides of the island.
TOPSAR data were collected of the Mauna Loa volcano summit region. Mauna Loa is one of fifteen Decade Volcanoes, designated by the international volcanological community as particular threats to populated areas. The TOPSAR data will provide a detailed digital elevation model of the Mauna Loa summit, information that will be used for research and monitoring, as well as public safety purposes.
Kilauea, the most recently active volcano on the big island, is the fifth area that will be imaged during PacRim. Data were collected over the rainforest on the flanks of Kilauea to study differential radar penetration along the vegetation gradient. This study is similar to that also being conducted by Howard Zebker on Oahu. In addition to AIRSAR data, TIMS and AES data were collected over the active flow field, centered on Pu'u O'o, along the East Rift of Kilauea.
Two other sites selected by Landcare Research are Wanganui and Lake Taupo, both located on the New Zealand's North Island. Science objectives at the Wanganui site are to evaluate the use of radar data for landslide detection (in conjunction with research using Radarsat) and to map vegetation. Changes in landuse in this area will also be studied. Both POLSAR and TOPSAR data were collected over the site to support these goals.
The Taupo site is being imaged as part of a study to evaluate carbon dynamics in New Zealand's indigenous rainforests. AIRSAR data, used to characterize the forest composition and biomass, will be used in conjunction with ground-collected data to determine how changes in vegetation affect the amount of carbon stored in soil and biomass. Lake Taupo, is New Zealand's largest lake and is in the Taupo volcanic zone which is adjacent to Ruapehu Volcano. AIRSAR, TIMS and AES data were also collected over this active volcano.
In addition to these sites, two other sites in New Zealand were requested by NASA PIs Dr. Doug Burbank of the University of Southern California and Dr. Jeff Weissel of Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory/Columbia University. Dr. Burbank's interest is in defining the rates of bedrock deformation and determining the topographic response. The study site in the [Southern Alps *http://www.webworkshop.com/tearooms/aya/queenst1.html] on New Zealand's [South Island *http://www.canterbury.ac.nz/zool/whmpsi.htm] includes a portion of the great Alpine Fault system. This fault is an active strike-slip fault similar to the San Andreas fault in California. Results from this research will be compared with results from a study site in the San Gabriel Mountains in southern California. The benefit of the Southern Alps study site is that uplift rates are well-known from other studies and they indicate rapid uplift (up to 10 mm/year) with rates varying across the site.
Dr. Weissel's interest in the Southern Alps study site focuses on the landslide risk that such a tectonically active area produces. In addition to studying the contribution of landslides to the regional denudation budget, TOPSAR DEMs will be used to assess landscape slope stability and landslide hazard potential in the region. On a larger scale, these data will be compared with data from other tectonic/climatic settings.
Wairapa on the North Island is a second study site that has been requested by Dr. Burbank. This is an area of active deformation where the growing folds can be examined in three-dimensions. The area contains extensive terraces that act as markers in determining the rates of deformation.
The AIRSAR mission spent more time in Australia than any other country on PacRim. This is due in part to the size of Australia, but is also a result of the intense interest generated from the results of the first AIRSAR mission to Australia in 1993.
Sites in Eastern and Southeastern Australia
Tarrawarra, Victoria, requested by Dr. Dennis Lettenmaier of the University of Washington, is an area that drains to the Yarra River, northeast of Melbourne. It is a site of intensive soil moisture monitoring and other ground-based measurements. TOPSAR data will be used to test hydrological models, and specifially how detailed knowledge of the small-scale topography affects these models.
The Condamine Basinsite is requested by Dr. Dennis Lettenmaier as a study site for processing TOPSAR topographic data in areas of relatively low relief. This site is also a study site for the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) Division of Soils who are interested in using the data to refine their soil maps.
A second ATI site, with similar objectives as the Kohala Ocean, Hawaii site, was flown within the East AustralianCurrent off the New South Wales Coast. This site is requested by Drs. Imel and Rodriguez. In addition data were collected on the transit between New Zealand and Australia.
Mt. Gambier is a forestry site and data collected over this area will be used to estimate the biomass at the site. Goulburn basin is another soil moisture measurement site.
Mt Fitton is an international calibration site for spaceborne instruments. It has similar geology and features to Death Valley in the United States. Tarcoola is a gold mine exploration site.
Data collection in the Coopers Basin/Strezlecki area has been requested by investigators from both the United States (Dr. Melba Crawford of Univ. of Texas, Austin and Dr. Jeff Plescia of JPL) and Australia (Dr. Toni O'Neill). This area of Australia is characterized by rivers that drain the Great Dividing Range. These rivers typically contain many channels that only flow during the wet season, when they deliver water to the arid and semi-arid interior. AIRSAR data will be used to study the history of these river channels, how they have changed their course over hundreds of years and the geological controls on their location.
A 500 km long transect was collected over the Cunnamulla region, west of Brisbane. These data will be used to verify data for the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM). SRTM is a follow-on mission for the two Spaceborne Imaging Radar -C/X-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SIR-C/X-SAR) missions that were flown in 1994. SRTM will use the SIR-C C-band antenna, along with a second C-band antenna deployed at the end of a boom attached to the shuttle. TOPSAR will provide a valuable verification data set because it collects cross-track interferometry data at C-band, the same wavelength to be used on SRTM.
SRTM will collect a global (between 60 degrees North and South latitude) digital topographic map using the technique of radar interferometry. The Cunnamulla transect covers two SRTM data swaths (225 km each) from edge to edge and provide a valuable data set over unvegetated terrain. These data will be used to prepare verification techniques and to verify the SRTM data set.
The Gilbert Range site is requested by Dr. Dennis Lettenmaier and is a test case for further development of techniques to map climate, terrain and soil properties and biological productivity. AIRSAR data will complement a full set of satellite data and ground-based data.
The Daintree River site has been requested by Dr. Chris Field (Carnegie Inst., Washington, D. C.) as part of ongoing studies on biodiversity and coastal mangrove ecosystems. AIRSAR data will be used to address the following questions: (1) can biodiversity be assessed from SAR data?; (2) what factors (topography, hydrology, salinity) that can be determined from SAR data as most associated with mangrove diversity?; (3) do mangroves in different salinity zones differ in biomass or woody structures? Dr. Field and colleagues at CSIRO Division of Water Resources have conducted extensive field work in this area.
Data over the Undara lava field in Queensland has been requested by Dr. Greeley (Arizona State University) and Dr. Stephenson (James Cook University, Queensland, Australia). This flow field has some of the longest pristine flows in the world, many of which were emplaced on extremely low slopes. One particular feature to be imaged by AIRSAR, called "the wall" is theorized to be an elevated lava tube and may have analogs to features on the Moon, Mars and Venus.
Along with the Cunnamulla site described above, the transect over the Cape York Peninsula (called Weipa in the PacRim plan) provides a second SRTM verification data set in Australia.
The Queensland site has been requested by Dr. Scott Hensley of JPL. It is the same area that was mapped on the first AIRSAR mission to Australia in 1993. Since then the interferometric capability of AIRSAR has increased to include L-band data as well as C-band. The same flight lines were flown six times to collect P-band repeat pass interferometry data. (Due to the long P-band wavelength (68 cm), the body of the plane is not large enough to have a sufficient baseline to collect cross-track interferometry from two P-band antennas simultaneously.)
Sites in Central and Northwest Australia
Six meteor impact craters, requested by Dr. Jeff Plescia (JPL) and Dr. Ron Greeley (Arizona State University) were imaged during PacRim. These are: Henbury, Kelly West, Wolf Creek Crater, Goat Paddock, Strangways, and Liverpool Crater. Impact craters on Earth can be compared to craters on other bodies on the solar system. Knowledge of Earth impact structures also adds to the knowledge to refine the global modeling of Earth's meteoric flux. Impact craters are of interest on a local scale due to the effect of their surface and subsurface structure on topography, soil properties and ground water.
Other mining exploration sites in Australia include Tanamai and Nifty.
Two flight days over Papua New Guinea (PNG) were flown out to Townsville, Australia. Sites imaged on these days included several mining exploration sites (E. Normandy Island and Mt. Smuku).
Two transects in the Morobe Province (site names Huon Peninsula and Ramu-Markcham) were requested by Dr. Keith Crook of the University of Hawaii Undersea Research Laboratory. This is an area of high relief, high seismicity and high rainfall and AIRSAR data will be used to locate faults that cut through the alluvial fans to help determine the relative ages of the fans. The AIRSAR data adds to existing AIRSAR coverage (collected in 1993) in building a baseline dataset for comparison after the next major earthquake, landslide or flood event in the region.
The Fly River site on PNG was requested by Dr. Sasan Saatchi (NASA/JPL) and Dr. Jean Paul Malingreau (Joint Research Center, Italy). Data from this site are part of the TREES project (Tropical Ecosystem Environment Monitoring by Satellites), the goal of which is to set up an operational system for tropical forest monitoring. The Fly River site has been selected specifically to address questions of wetland mapping.
The Lakekamu Basinsite has been the focus of several ecological, biodiversity and land use management studies conducted by Conservation International and the Foundation of the Peoples of the South Pacific-PNG. This site is requested by Dr. Richard Rice (Conservation International) and Dr. Sasan Saatchi (JPL). AIRSAR data will provide information on topography and land cover to help determine biodiversity priorities. Due to the nearly continuous cloud cover, this information is not available from conventional aerial photography.
Manam, a small island volcano off the north coast of PNG, was also imaged on the PacRim deployment. Manam is currently active and a large eruption in late November 1996 forced the evacuation of some villages on the island.
The Malaysian Center for Remote Sensing (MACRES) is the coordinator for Malaysia's participation in PacRim. Through MACRES, various government agencies in Malaysia will use the AIRSAR data. Seven study areas, four on the Malaysian Peninsula and three in Sabah and Sarawak (on the island of Borneo) were selected.
| Agency | Site |
|---|---|
| MACRES, Dept. of Forestry | Muda Merbok, Kedeh Province |
| MACRES, Dept. of Survey, Dept. of Forestry, Geological Survey | Cameron Highlands,Pahang Province |
| MACRES, Dept. of Survey and Mapping, Dept. of the Environment | Endau-Pulau Tioman |
| MACRES, Dept. of Survey, Fisheries Research Inst, University of Malaysia | Coastal Terengganu Province |
| MACRES, Dept. of Agriculture | Samarahan River Basin, Sarawak |
| Dept. of Forestry, Dept. of Land and Survey | Tuaran District, Sabah |
| Geological Survey/Sarawak, MACRES | Bintulu, Sarawak |
The Muda Merbok study area is on the west coast of the Malay Peninsula near the border with Burma. This is an area of paddy fields at lower elevations transitioning to oil palm and rubber plantations at higher elevations. AIRSAR data will be used to evaluate multiparameter SAR for crop classification, soil moisture, and estimation of biomass throughout the vegetated area. Since the area is a mixed use area, the environmental effects of deforestation will also be studied.
The Samarahan River Basinis typical of the coastal and inland organic swamps of Sarawak. The swamps have developed in waterlogged basins at or near sea level. Undrained swamps are not useable for agriculture due to high ground water level and the acidity of the soil. However, drained peats have been shown to be suitable for cultivation of shallow rooting crops. Part of the study site is an area that has been drained and is currently being used for fruit crops and large scale oil palm cultivation. AIRSAR data will be used to assess the different peat features such as moisture content, forest type, and how these are related to topography. The Department of Agriculture is also interested in evaluating conservation strategies for the remaining peat swamp areas.
The second site in Sarawak is Bintulu. This site is selected by the Geological Survey of Malaysia with the aim of assessing the suitability TOPSAR data in generating geomorphological maps for mountain road rehabilitation. This is an area of rugged topography and TOPSAR data will be used to study slope morphology and local drainage patterns to assist in civil engineering programs.
One site, Kota Kinabalu, has been selected in the province of Sabah. The study area crosses the tip of Sabah and includes rugged mountains in the west, including the tallest mountain in southeast Asia, Mt. Kinabalu (13455 feet; 4100 meters). The eastern end of the site covers the flatter coastal plain, including mangrove forests. AIRSAR data will be used for land classification and coastal mapping. Results from the radar study will be used to compliment mapping information gained from aerial photography.
All of the Malaysian sites have some degree of existing ground truth data and in some cases other SAR data; the AIRSAR data will provide a valuable addition to these datasets.
Data were collected over the sultanate of Brunei on transit from Australia
to the Philippines. These data were requested over coastal Brunei near
the capital city of Bandar by the Survey Department of the Ministry of
Development. They will be used to update maps and also to provide the Survey
Department with their first exposure to AIRSAR data; they hope to use more
SAR data in their work in the future.
Philippines
Various agencies in the Philippines, coordinated by the Department of Science and Technology and the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority of the Philippines (NAMRIA), selected three primary AIRSAR sites for PacRim. These sites, two on the island of Panay and one on the island of Negros, were imaged out of a base in Cebu City. Five science objectives for these three sites have been outlined as follows: geology, coastal zone studies, soil moisture, topography and natural hazards.
The Negros Island site is centered onKanlaon volcano which has been active as recently as August 1996 when a steam-driven eruption blew ash and bombs into the air, killing two members of a climbing party. Data collected over this site will be used to study the geology of Kanlaon including generation of a DEM. Land use studies will be conducted on the eastern and western flanks of the volcano. The AIRSAR flight lines over Kanlaon Volcano were oriented roughly east-west and will image the island from coast to coast.
The northern site on the island of Panay has been requested by a mining company in the Philippines (Philex). The area is a 10 x 20 km site in the Visayas mountains, the most rugged topography on the island. The main objective of this site is to produce a complete DEM of the selected area. Since the area is quite rugged the area was flown to image the area on all four sides in the XTI1 mode.
The southern site on the island of Panay is along the southern coast from approximately the city of Ioililo to the southwest. Coastal Panay is relatively flat and the research interest here is studying coastal erosion, coastal morphology, soil moisture and land use.
In addition, a flight line was collected across the island ofCebu for for use in a GIS database being developed by a company in Cebu. The western end of this line is an area of active slumping and the eastern end of the line covers the city of Cebu.
In addition to the sites selected by the Philippine government agencies, five sites were flown for NASA investigators. Three of these sites are active volcanoes, Mt. Pinatubo , Taal Volcano , and Mayon Volcano all on the island of Luzon. The primary objective of data collection over these sites is to generate DEMs for natural hazards studies. In addition, TIMS/AES data were collected over Mayon Volcano. Data over these volcano sites has been requested by Dr. Peter Mouginis-Mark of the University of Hawaii, and Dr. Vince Realmuto of NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
The fourth NASA site is the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) Research Station near Los Banos on the southern part of Luzon Island. These data will be used to evaluate radar's ability to predict grain yield and gas flux of lowland rice crops. Data over this site have been requested by Dr. Marc Imhoff of NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center.
The fifth NASA site is the Magat Watershedon the northern part of the
island of Luzon. This site has been requested by Dr. David Skole of the
University of New Hampshire and is a cooperative research site with NAMRIA
and the Smithsonian Institution. AIRSAR data will be used to map the extent
of deforestation and regrowth in this area.
Taiwan
Taiwanese participation is being organized by Dr. Kun Shan Chen of the National Central University in Taipei. A large study site innortheast Taiwan has been selected for TOPSAR data collection. A second site, around the city ofT'ai Chunghas been selected for POLSAR data acquisition. Data from both of these sites will be used for land cover and coastal zone mapping studies. A DEM will be generated for a portion of the study area and the TOPSAR data will also be used for tree height estimation.
In addition to this site near Taipei, two transects are also planned. One of these transects crosses the tip of the Oluan Peninsulain the southern part of Taiwan and the second crosses central Taiwan. These transects provide data for verifying the Shuttle Radar Topography Mapper (SRTM) dataset, planned for collection in 1999 or 2000. Long swaths, that cross one or more of the SRTM data swaths (225 km wide) will provide tie-points to help verify the global topographic dataset.
Thailand Thailand's participation in PacRim is being organized through the National Research Council of Thailand (NRCT). They have selected 11 study sites throughout Thailand. These sites and the requesting agencies are:
| Agency | Site |
| Royal Forest Department | Uthaithani, Ranong |
| Fine Arts Department* | Nakon Ratchasima, Burirum, Hariharalaya and Lovea, Cambodia |
| Office of Agricultural Economics | Chanthaburi, Lampang |
| Land Development Department | Phetchaburi, Narathiwat |
| Department of Fisheries | Nakhon Si Thammarat |
| Naval Hydrographic Dept. | Prachuap Khiri Khan |
| NRCT | Songkhla |
Each of these sites are relatively small and were covered in 1-2 AIRSAR data swaths.
The Uthaithani site (99.2E, 15.5N) is in northern Thailand and is a wildlife sanctuary under consideration as a World Heritage Site. The AIRSAR data swath covers a portion of the sanctuary along a river valley that is home to a wild bull unique to this area. POLSAR data and TOPSAR data were collected at this site to study the forest ecosystem and river valley topography.
The Ranong site (98.42E, 9.5N) is on the west coast of the Thai portion of the Malay Peninsula, just below the border with Burma. This is an area of coastal mangrove forests, many of which are being converted to rubber plantations; rubber plantations and an area under consideration as a mangrove reserve both occur in the data swath.
Data were collected over two archeological sites in northeast Thailand, Nakon Ratchasima site (102.33E, 15.2N) andBurirum (103E, 14.75N). The data swath at Nakon Rachasima contains numerous archeological sites including ancient moated mounds and also a temple site (Phimai temple). One of the mounds (Nong Muang Kao) is currently being excavated by the Fine Arts Department.
The Burirum flight line covered prehistoric moated mounds. In addition to these two archeological sites in Thailand, data were also collected over similar prehistoric mounds in northeast Cambodia near the ancient temple complex of Angkor Wat(flight line names: Lovea and Hariharalaya). Data were also collected of the Angkor site and the surrounding temple complexes as part of the World Monuments Fund and others efforts in cultural resource management.
Chanthaburi(102.2E, 12.5N) is located on the coastal area east of the city of Bangkok. Data from this site will be used for crop classification of forested and plantation areas.
Lampang(99.2E, 18.3N) in northwest Thailand is a coal-mining area and the AIRSAR data will be used for land use studies.
The Phetchaburi(99.91E, 13.25N) and Narathiwat (101.75E, 6.5N) study sites are along the eastern coast of the Malay Peninsula. Phetchaburi is an area of mixed land use including orchards, rice paddies, mangrove forests, and urban areas; AIRSAR data will be used for land cover classification. Narathiwat is an area of peat swamps which have become drier over time. Data from this site will be compared to Globesar (Radarsat prototype) data that were collected in 1994.
Nakhon Si Thammarat(100.08E, 8.08N), also located on the eastern coast of the Malay Peninsula, is a wetlands study area. The AIRSAR data swath covered a river delta area.
Prachup Khiri Khan (99.83E, 12N) is located just south of the Phetchaburi site. The AIRSAR data swath imaged the coastline and the data will be used for coastline monitoring.
Songkhla (100.16E, 8N) is a wetlands study site on the eastern coast of the Malay Peninsula. This is another site where AIRSAR data will be compared with Globesar data collected in 1994. The AIRSAR data swath covered an area of coastal lakes that are used for aquaculture. One of the objectives for this site is to determine the utility of SAR for detecting fishing nets.
In addition to the 11 sites selected by the Thailand participants, two NASA sites in Thailand were also be imaged. Both of these sites,Chiang Maiand Surat Thani, were requested by Dr. David Skole of the University of New Hampshire, who is using radar data to study the tropical rainforest. AIRSAR data will be compared to existing RADARSAT, SIR-C and/or JERS data for these areas.
compiled by EllenO 'Leary (ellen.oleary@jpl.nasa.gov)
edited by Victor B. Taylor (taylor@blacks.jpl.nasa.gov)
