U.S. flagAn official website of the United States government
                    Here's how you know **Official websites use .gov**
                            
                            A **.gov** website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
 **Secure .gov websites use HTTPS**
                            
                            A **lock** (                            
                              A locked padlock                                                      
                            
                            ) or **https://** means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.


Menu Agricultural Research Service
						
                    U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
 close



Research
                Research Home
                            National Programs
                            Research Projects
                            Scientific Manuscripts
                            International Engagement
                            Scientific Software/Models
                            Databases and Datasets
                            Office of Scientific Quality Review
            Media
                News & Features
                            Multimedia
                            Briefing Room
                            Down on the Farm
                            Press Room
                            Science in Your Shopping Cart
                            Scientific Discoveries
                            Tellus
                            Under the Microscope
            About ARS
                About ARS Home
                            Staff Directory
                            Labs and Research Centers (Map)
                            Headquarter Offices
                            Organizational Chart
                            Employee Services (REE Employees Only)
                            Office of Outreach, Diversity, and Equal Opportunity
            Work With Us
                Work With Us Home
                            ARS Vacancies at USAJOBS
                            Careers at ARS Information
                            Scientific Collaborations
                            Extramural Agreements
                            1890 Faculty Research Sabbatical ProgramSearch small
                    Search
            
            ARS Home
                                About ARS
                                Contact Us




ARS Home Research Publications at this Location





- ARS National Programs
- Search for a scientific manuscript
- Search for a research project
- ARS Software
- Programs and Projects
- Collaborations
- Subjects of Investigation
- Publications

Title:   Author  item
                                            Anderson, Marthaitem
                                            Kustas, William

                                                         - *Bill*item
                                            NORMAN, JOHN - UNIV OF WI
  Submitted to: Agronomy Journal
                                    Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
                                    Publication Acceptance Date: 6/20/2006
                                    Publication  Date: 2/15/2007
                                    Citation: Anderson, M.C., Kustas, W.P., Norman, J.M. 2007. Upscaling flux observations from local to continental scales using thermal remote sensing. Agronomy Journal. 99:240-254.Interpretive Summary: To quantify water and energy balance at the field, watershed, and regional scales for operational hydrologic assessments, we need to find reliable means for upscaling discrete (point or transect) measurements made at meteorological flux towers or with flux aircraft to full 2-dimensional coverage over the area of interest.  Land-surface modeling based on remote sensing is the obvious means to achieve this kind of upscaling.   In this paper, we overview a series of modeling experiments that have successfully bridged this gap between the measurement and application scales.  The remote sensing model employed uses ground and satellite data that are commonly available, and is therefore well-suited for routine upscaling.  Tower and aircraft flux data from field experiments in Oklahoma and Iowa are compared with flux maps created with the multi-scale ALEXI/DisALEXI modeling system, showing excellent agreement.  The paper describes how this modeling system adds crucial spatial context to intensive field experiments, by providing maps of surface conditions at both smaller (e.g., field) and larger (e.g. state-continent) scales.  We also explore how pre-campaign flux mapping can be used to optimally configure instrument deployment over the experimental area.
                                Technical Abstract: A number of recent intensive and extended field campaigns have been devoted to the collection of land-surface fluxes from a variety of platforms, with the purpose of inferring the long-term carbon, water, and energy budgets over large areas (watershed, continental, or global scales).   One approach to flux upscaling is to use land-atmosphere-transfer-schemes (LATS) linked to remotely-sensed boundary conditions as an intermediary between the sensor footprint and regional scales.  In this capacity, we examine the utility of a multi-scale LATS framework that uses thermal and visible/near infrared remote sensing imagery from multiple satellites to partition surface temperature and fluxes between the soil and canopy. Findings are summarized from upscaling exercises using tower and aircraft flux data collected at three experiment sites in Oklahoma and Iowa, each with a different configuration of instrumentation.  Combined, the two flux-monitoring systems were found to be complementary: the towers provided high spatial resolution, time-continuous validation at discrete points within the modeling domain, while with the aircraft data it could be confirmed that the model was reproducing broad spatial patterns observed at specific moments in time.  High-resolution flux maps created with the LATS allowed evaluation of differences in footprint associated turbulent, radiative, and conductive flux sensors, which may be contributing to energy budget closure problems observed with eddy correlation systems.  The ability to map fluxes at multiple resolutions (1m to 10 km) with a common model framework is beneficial in providing spatial context to an experiment by bracketing the scale of interest.  Multi-scale maps can also assist in the experimental design stage, in a priori assessments of sensor representativeness in complex landscapes.


Return to top


Connect with ARS Sign up


ARS Home
                            USDA.gov
                            Plain Writing
                            Policies & Links
                            Civil Rights Statements
                            FOIA
                            Accessibility Statement
                            Privacy Policy
                            Non-Discrimination Statement
                            Quality of Information
                            USA.gov
                            WhiteHouse.gov