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ARS Home » Midwest Area » West Lafayette, Indiana » National Soil Erosion Research Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #110662
Title: SURFACE MICROTOPOGRAPHY FROM THE SOUTHERN GREAT PLAINS HYDROLOGY EXPERIMENT 1999

Author
item SALVATI, J - OHIO STATE UNIV.
item Huang, Chi Hua
item JOHNSON, J - OHIO STATE UNIV.
item KLIK, A - BOKU, VIENNA, AUSTRIA

Submitted to: International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium Proceedings
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/1/2000
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Surface conditions, i.e., vegetative cover, soil moisture and microtopography, can have a great influence on the scattering and emission of electromagnetic waves. As part of ground truthing, efforts in the Southern Great Plains Hydrology Experiment 1999, a newly-developed portable laser scanner was used to provide accurate characterization of surface microtopography. The scanner employs a line laser and a digital camera to produce soil surface profiles in millimeter scale grids over an area of 0.5 by 3.6 m. In this presentation, we will describe the operational principles of the laster scanner and calibration processes developed for converting camera data into surface elevations. In addition, statistical methodologies for characterizing the surface roughness function from digitized topographic data will be discussed. Finally, effects of measured topography on electromagnetic scattering and emission will be considered.