Yuri Mekler

Properties of Sharav (Khamsin) Dust–Comparison of Optical and Direct Sampling Data

Abstract Simultaneous measurements of optical depth and Size distribution in a dust storm are presented. The measured and derived properties of the aerosol are compared with each other and with other results published in the scientific literature. We observe some global commonality in the measured size spectra of desert aerosols especially for post-frontal conditions. On the other hand, during the passage of the front itself, high aerosol concentrations with a sharp peak in radius at −1 μm were observed. Generally, these were not similar to other size distributions reported in the literature. The imaginary part of the refractive index in the spectral region 0.3-1.7 μm was found to be similar to that found in other deserts. Comparison of the optical measurements with the direct sampling data suggests that the general time trends of the size distributions, as measured in situ, are followed by the optical depth and its variations with wavelength. On the other hand, detailed short-term fluctuations detected b...

Contrast reduction by the atmosphere and retrieval of nonuniform surface reflectance

A radiative transfer model is developed which gives the upward radiance at nadir for any 1-D Lambertian surface reflectance. This model is used to depict the atmospheric effect on the transmittance of contrast for any 1-D surface reflectance. Here by contrast we mean a general variation of the radiation field across the image. With the aid of this model an inversion algorithm is developed for retrieval of true surface reflectance from high resolution satellite data (e.g., Landsat). This inversion technique can be a useful tool for extraction of surface reflectance from satellite data in the case of a surface reflectance variable in one dimension only (e.g., seashore or near borders of big fields). A sensitivity study of the inversion procedure on the knowledge of atmospheric parameters and sensor calibration was performed. It is shown that this inversion technique is stable even in the presence of errors in the sensor calibration and the atmospheric parameters. The method was applied to Landsat data in two wavelengths. The results show reasonable dependence of the derived surface reflectance on the distance from the seashore.

Direct Determination of Surface Albedos from Satellite Imagery

Abstract An empirical method to measure the spectral surface albedo of surfaces from LANDSAT imagery is presented and analyzed. The empiricism in the method is due only to the fact that three parameters of the solution must be determined for each spectral photograph of an image on the basis of independently known albedos at three points. The approach is otherwise based on exact solutions of the radiative transfer equation for upwelling intensity. Application of the method allows the routine construction of spectral albedo maps from satellite imagery, without requiring detailed knowledge of the atmospheric aerosol content, as long as the optical depth is less than 0.75, and of the calibration of the satellite sensor.

Urban light pollution: the effect of atmospheric aerosols on astronomical observations at night

The transfer of diffuse city light from a localized source through a dust-laden atmosphere with optical depth <0.5 has been analyzed in the source-observer plane on the basis of an approximate treatment. The effect on several types of astronomical observation at night has been studied, considering different size distributions and amounts as well as particle shapes of the aerosols. The analysis is made not as a function of the absolute aerosol amount but in terms of the signal-to-noise ratios for a given amount of aerosol. The model is applied to conditions at the Wise Astronomical Observatory in the Negev desert and limiting backgrounds for spectroscopy, photometry, and photography of stars and extended objects have been calculated for a variety of signal-to-noise ratios. Applications to observations with different equipment at various distances from an rban area of any size are possible. Due to the use of signal-to-noise ratios, the conclusions are different for the different experimental techniques used in astronomy.

Reflectivity of the atmosphere-inhomogeneous surfaces system Laboratory simulation

Abstract Theoretical two- and three-dimensional solutions of the radiative transfer equation have been applied to the earth-atmosphere system. Such solutions have not been verified experimentally. A laboratory experiment simulates such a system to test the theory. The atmosphere was simulated by latex spheres suspended in water and the ground by a nonuniform surface, half white and half black. A stable radiation source provided uniform illumination over the hydrosol. The upward radiance along a line orthogonal to the boundary of the two-halves field was recorded for different amounts of the hydrosol. The simulation is a well-defined radiative transfer experiment to test radiative transfer models involving nonuniform surfaces. Good agreement is obtained between the measured and theoretical results.

Observations of water, air and soil pollution in Israel and vicinity from the ERTS-1 imagery

Israel is a participant in the Earth Resources Technology Satellite Program (ERTS). The imagery of Israel and vicinity taken by the Multi Spectral Scanner of the ERTS-1 Satellite has been the subject of analysis in a multidisciplinary research program. The objectives of the program are mapping of agricultural crops, mainly wheat and orange groves, mapping of natural vegetation, and studies for Israeli hydrology, arid regions research, geology, and oceanography.Cases of water, air, and soil pollution have been observed in the imagery on several dates, and are reported in this paper. These are: oil slicks in the Gulf of Suez and possibly near Haifa; smoke plumes, extending over some 100 km in a nearly straight line along the Gulf of Suez, and soil pollution caused by copper mine effluents in the Arava Valley in Israel. The images of these cases of pollution are presented and ‘space signatures’, i.e., the radiometric spectral characteristics of these cases of pollution as seen from space are also given.

On the detectability of forbidden lines

Abstract We show that the traditional interpretation of the non-detection of forbidden lines in dense natural plasmas is based on a misunderstanding. The central intensity of the line, taken to be a measure of detectability, is shown to have a maximum as a function of electron density and to be a linear function of electron density in tenuous plasmas.

Detectability criteria of forbidden lines of NII and OIII

A model-dependent criterion for the detectability of forbidden lines is developed. For the simple model of a nebula, it leads to much higher electron densities than the commonly accepted criterion.