Detecting air pollution stress in southern California vegetation using Landsat Thematic Mapper band data

Journal Article · Thu Sep 01 00:00:00 EDT 1988 · Photogramm. Eng. Remote Sensing; (United States)

OSTI ID:6578955

Westman, W E; Price, C V

Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) and aircraft-borne Thematic Mapper simulator (TMS) data were collected over two areas of natural vegetation in southern California exposed to gradients of pollutant dose, particularly in photochemical oxidants: the coastal sage scrub of the Santa Monica Mountains in the Los Angeles basin, and the yellow pine forests in the southern Sierra Nevada. In both situations, natural variations in canopy closure, with subsequent exposure of understory elements (e.g.,rock or soil, chaparral, grasses, and herbs), were sufficient to cause changes in spectral variation that could obscure differences due to visible foliar injury symptoms observed in the field. TM or TMS data are therefore more likely to be successful in distinguishing pollution injury from background variation when homogeneous communities with closed canopies are subjected to more severe pollution-induced structural and/or compositional change. The present study helps to define the threshold level of vegetative injury detectable by TM data. 26 references.

• Research Organization: NASA, Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA (USA); TGS Technology, Inc., Moffett Field, CA (USA)
• OSTI ID: 6578955
• Journal Information: Photogramm. Eng. Remote Sensing; (United States), Vol. 54
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
PHOTOCHEMICAL OXIDANTS
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
PLANTS
BIOLOGICAL STRESS
AIR POLLUTION
CALIFORNIA
CANOPIES
CONIFERS
FORESTS
REMOTE SENSING
FEDERAL REGION IX
NORTH AMERICA
POLLUTION
USA
560300* - Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology