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Development Of Hydraulic Relationships For Estimating In-Bank River Discharge Using Remotely Sensed Data, David Michael Bjerklie

Doctoral Dissertations

An evaluation of river hydraulic data currently or potentially available from satellite and other remote platforms was completed, and a set of discharge estimation models proposed that can use the remotely sensed information to estimate discharge with reasonable accuracy. Reasonable accuracy is defined as within +/-20% of the observed on average for a large number of estimates. The proposed estimation models are based on the Manning and Chezy flow resistance equations, and utilize combinations of potentially observable variables including water-surface width, maximum-channel (or bankfull) width, mean water depth, mean maximum-channel depth, mean water velocity, and channel slope. Both statistically and …

Ocean Color Modeling: Parameterization And Interpretation, Hui Feng

Doctoral Dissertations

The ocean color as observed near the water surface is determined mainly by dissolved and particulate substances, known as "optically-active constituents," in the upper water column. The goal of ocean color modeling is to interpret an ocean color spectrum quantitatively to estimate the suite of optically-active constituents near the surface. In recent years, ocean color modeling efforts have been centering upon three major optically-active constituents: chlorophyll concentration, colored dissolved organic matter, and scattering particulates. Many challenges are still being faced in this arena. This thesis generally addresses and deals with some critical issues in ocean color modeling.

In chapter one, …

Assessing Hemlock Woolly Adelgid Induced Decline And Susceptibility Using Hyperspectral Technologies, Jennifer Pontius

Doctoral Dissertations

The ultimate goal of this study was to provide the scientific framework for using narrow band hyperspectral instruments to assess early hemlock decline and susceptibility to the introduced hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA). To this end, spectral data from an ASD FieldSpec Pro was used to develop a 6-term linear regression equation, which predicted a detailed decline rating (0--10) with an R2 of 0.71 and RMSE of 0.591. To scale up this method to a remote sensing platform, NASA's Airborne Visible Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) was used to create a hemlock abundance map, correctly identifying hemlock dominated pixels (>40% basal …