Ghani Chehbouni

Modeling and Inversion in Thermal Infrared Remote Sensing over Vegetated Land Surfaces

Thermal Infra Red (TIR) Remote sensing allow spatializing various land surface temperatures: ensemble brightness, radiometric and aerodynamic temperatures, soil and vegetation temperatures optionally sunlit and shaded, and canopy temperature profile. These are of interest for monitoring vegetated land surface processes: heat and mass exchanges, soil respiration and vegetation physiological activity. TIR remote sensors collect information according to spectral, directional, temporal and spatial dimensions. Inferring temperatures from measurements relies on developing and inverting modeling tools. Simple radiative transfer equations directly link measurements and variables of interest, and can be analytically inverted. Simulation models allow linking radiative regime to measurements. They require indirect inversions by minimizing differences between simulations and observations, or by calibrating simple equations and inductive learning methods. In both cases, inversion consists of solving an ill posed problem, with several parameters to be constrained from few information. Brightness and radiometric temperatures have been inferred by inverting simulation models and simple radiative transfer equations, designed for atmosphere and land surfaces. Obtained accuracies suggest refining the use of spectral and temporal information, rather than innovative approaches. Forthcoming challenge is recovering more elaborated temperatures. Soil and vegetation components can replace aerodynamic temperature, which retrieval seems almost impossible. They can be inferred using multiangular measurements, via simple radiative transfer equations previously parameterized from simulation models. Retrieving sunlit and shaded components or canopy temperature profile requires inverting simulation models. Then, additional difficulties are the influence of thermal regime, and the limitations of spaceborne observations which have to be along track due to the temperature fluctuations. Finally, forefront investigations focus on adequately using TIR information with various spatial resolutions and temporal samplings, to monitor the considered processes with adequate spatial and temporal scales. 10.1 Introduction Using TIR remote sensing for environmental issues have been investigated the last three decades. This is motivated by the potential of the spatialized information for documenting the considered processes within and between the Earth system components: cryosphere [1–2], atmosphere [3–6], oceans [7–9], and land surfaces [10]. For the latter, TIR remote sensing is used to monitor forested areas [11–14], urban areas [15–17], and vegetated areas. We focus here on vegetated areas, natural and cultivated. The monitored processes are related to climatology, meteorology, hydrology and agronomy: (1) radiation, heat and water transfers at the soil–vegetation–atmosphere interface [18–24]; (2) interactions between land surface and atmospheric boundary layer [25]; (3) vegetation physiological processes such as transpiration and water consumption, photosynthetic activity and CO2 uptake, vegetation growth and

Assessment of Equity and Adequacy of Water Delivery in Irrigation Systems Using Remote Sensing-Based Indicators in Semi-Arid Region, Morocco

The irrigation performance criteria of equity and adequacy are of primary concern for irrigation managers. The input data required at various scales to assess irrigation performance, often not available, need costly intensive field campaigns. Remote sensing techniques, used to directly estimate crop evapotranspiration (ETc), became recently an attractive option to assess irrigation performance from individual fields to irrigation scheme or river basin scale. In this study, ETc maps were obtained by combining the FAO-56 dual approach with relationships between crop biophysical variables and NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index), using high spatial resolution time series of SPOT and Landsat images. This approach was applied for 2002/2003 growing season in Haouz plain, Morocco. Remote sensing-based indicators, reflecting equity and adequacy of the irrigation water delivery were estimated. Adequacy was determined according to Relative Irrigation supply (RIS), Depleted Fraction (DF) and Relative Evapotranspiration (RET) and equity according to the coefficient of variation of ETc. The analysis of these indicators exhibits a great variability among fields. Variability in irrigation performance at all levels, associated factors and possible improvements are discussed. This study demonstrates how remote sensing-based estimates of water consumption provide better estimates of irrigation performance at different scales than the traditional field survey methods.

Combining a Two Source Energy Balance Model Driven by MODIS and MSG-SEVIRI Products with an Aggregation Approach to Estimate Turbulent Fluxes over Sparse and Heterogeneous Vegetation in Sahel Region (Niger)

Estimates of turbulent fluxes (i.e., sensible and latent heat fluxes H and LE) over heterogeneous surfaces is not an easy task. The heterogeneity caused by the contrast in vegetation, hydric and soil conditions can generate a large spatial variability in terms of surface–atmosphere interactions. This study considered the issue of using a thermal-based two-source energy model (TSEB) driven by MODIS (Moderate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) and MSG (Meteosat Second Generation) observations in conjunction with an aggregation scheme to derive area-averaged H and LE over a heterogeneous watershed in Niamey, Niger (Wankama catchment). Data collected in the context of the African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analysis (AMMA) program, including a scintillometry campaign, were used to test the proposed approach. The model predictions of area-averaged turbulent fluxes were compared to data acquired by a Large Aperture Scintillometer (LAS) set up over a transect about 3.2 km-long and spanning three vegetation types (millet, fallow and degraded shrubs). First, H and LE fluxes were estimated at the MSG-SEVIRI grid scale by neglecting explicitly the subpixel heterogeneity. Moreover, the impact of upscaling the model’s inputs was investigated using in-situ input data and three aggregation schemes of increasing complexity based on MODIS products: a simple averaging of inputs at the MODIS resolution scale, another simple averaging scheme that considers scintillometer footprint extent, and the weighted average of inputs based on the footprint weighting function. The H and LE simulated using the footprint weighted method were more accurate than for the two other aggregation rules despite the heterogeneity of the landscape. The statistical values are: correlation coefficient (R) = 0.71, root mean square error (RMSE) = 63 W/m2 and mean bias error (MBE) = −23 W/m2 for H and an R = 0.82, RMSE = 88 W/m2 and MBE = 45 W/m2 for LE. This study opens perspectives for the monitoring of convective and evaporative fluxes over heterogeneous landscape based on medium resolution satellite products.