The 10th Symposium on Global Change Studies

6A.11
MULTI-SATELLITE ASSESSMENT OF LAND SURFACE CHARACTERISTICS AT WEATHER OBSERVATION STATIONS- A CASE STUDY OF THE DALLAS-FT. WORTH REGION

Kevin P. Gallo, NOAA/NESDIS, Asheville, NC; and T. W. Owen

Data acquired during the early to mid-1990s by several satellite-sensor systems were combined in an assessment of the land surface characteristics at weather observation stations of the Dallas-Fort Worth, TX region of the United States. Normalized difference vegetation index and radiant surface temperature were computed from NOAA-AVHRR data. Two measures of the anthropogenic light emitted by urban-related surface features were available from the DMSP-OLS. Landsat MSS data were used to provide estimates of the predominant land cover within the grid cells associated with the NOAA-AVHRR and DMSP-OLS data. The multi-sensor analysis of the environment associated with seven climate observation stations in the Dallas-Ft. Worth region provided a methodology for characterization of the stations as "urban" or "rural." Three of the seven stations examined were identified through this analyis as "urban." The information provided by a single sensor, while valuable, was clearly enhanced by the use of the multiple sensors included in this study

The 10th Symposium on Global Change Studies