MICHAEL HEMBROM

1 INTERACTION OF EMR WITH ATMOSPHERE AND EARTH SURFACE

INTERACTION OF EMR WITH ATMOSPHERE AND EARTH SURFACE
Electro-magnetic radiation (EMR) or energy interactions with atmosphere and with the earth surface play a vital role in
remote sensing. Energy interactions with the atmosphere dictate the spectral regions through which only we can do the
remote sensing which are known as spectral windows (the spectral regions where atmosphere is more or less
transparent).

ENERGY INTERACTION IN ATMOSPHERE
Irrespective of its source, all radiation detected y remote sensors passes through some distance, or path length, of
atmosphere. !he path length involved can vary widely. "or e#ample, space photography results from sunlight that passes
through the full thickness of the earth$s atmosphere twice on its %ourney from source to sensor. &n the other hand , an
airorne thermal sensor detects energy emitted directly from o%ects on the earth, so a single, relatively short
atmospheric path length is involved.
'ecause of the varied nature of atmospheric effects, we treat this su%ect on a sensor-y-sensor. !he atmosphere can
have a profound effect on, among other things, the intensity and spectral composition of radiation availale to any
sensing system. !hese effects are caused principally through the mechanisms of atmospheric scattering and asorption.

(A). SCATTERING(
)tmospheric scattering is unpredictale diffusion of radiation y particles in the atmosphere. *cattering is the process
where an atom, molecule or particle redirects energy.

TYPES OF SCATTERING
+. Rayleigh scattering , atmospheric atom
-. Mie scattering , aerosol
.. /on selective scattering , cloud



MICHAEL HEMBROM
2 INTERACTION OF EMR WITH ATMOSPHERE AND EARTH SURFACE
Rayleigh scattei!g(
)tmospheric gas or small molecule scatters radiation y a process known as Rayleigh scattering. Rayleigh scatter is
common when radiation interacts with atmospheric molecules and other tiny particles that are much smaller in diameter
than the wavelength of the interacting radiation. !he effect of Rayleigh scatter is inversely proportional to the fourth
power of wavelength.

Rayleigh scattering redirects the radiation aout e0ual in all direction. Rayleigh scattering is responsile for lue skies
and red sunsets.
Mie scattei!g(
)nother type of scatter is Mie scatter, which e#ists when atmospheric particle diameters essentially e0ual the energy
wavelengths eing sensed. 1ater vapour and dust are ma%or causes of Mie scatter. !his type of scatter tends to
influences longer wavelengths compared to Rayleigh scatter. )lthough Rayleigh scatter tends to dominate under most
atmospheric conditions, Mie scatter is significant in slightly overcast ones.
E#amples( water vapor, smoke particles, fine dust

MICHAEL HEMBROM
3 INTERACTION OF EMR WITH ATMOSPHERE AND EARTH SURFACE


N"! selecti#e scattei!g(
) mo re o thersome phenomenon is nonselective scatter, which comes aout when the diameters of the particles
causing scatter are much larger than the energy wavelengths eing sensed. 1ater droplets, for e#ample, cause such
scater . !hey commonly have a diameter in the 2 to +33 m (mocro meter, +3-4 m) range and scatter all visile and
Reflected IR wavelengths aout e0ually. 5onse0uently, this scattering is 6nonselective6 with respect to wavelength.
In the visile wavelengths ()ppro#. 3.7 to 3.8 m ), e0ual 0uantities of lue, green, and red light are scattered, Making
fog and clouds appear white.
E#amples( water droplets, ice crystals, volcanic ash,
*mog

$%). A%SORPTION
)tmospheric asorption results in the effective loss of energy to atmospheric constituents. !his normally involves
asorption of energy at a given wavelength. !he most efficient asorers of solar radiation in !his regard is water
vapour, caron dio#ide, and o9one. 'ecause these gasses tend to asor electromagnetic Energy in specific wavelength
ands, they strongly influence 6where we look6 spectrally with any given remote *ensing system. !he wavelength
ranges in which the atmosphere is particularly transmissive of energy are referred
to as atmospheric windows.


MICHAEL HEMBROM
4 INTERACTION OF EMR WITH ATMOSPHERE AND EARTH SURFACE

$C). TRANSMISSION&

) material transmits light when it allows the light to pass through it. !ransparent materials allow all the light to pass
through them so that you can easily see what is on the other side. E#amples of transparent materials are glass, water, and
air. !ranslucent materials scatter the light that passes through them. :ou can tell that something is on the other side, ut
you cannot see details clearly. E#amples of translucent materials are wa# paper, frosted glass, and some kinds of plastic.
If the o%ect is transparent, then the virations of the electrons are passed on to neighoring atoms through the ulk of
the material and reemitted on the opposite side of the o%ect. *uch fre0uencies of light waves are said to e transmitted.
If the o%ect is opa0ue, then the virations of the electrons are not passed from atom to atom through the ulk of the
material. Rather the electrons of atoms on the material$s surface virate for short periods of time and then reemit the
energy as a reflected light wave. *uch fre0uencies of light are said to e reflected.


MICHAEL HEMBROM
5 INTERACTION OF EMR WITH ATMOSPHERE AND EARTH SURFACE
INTERACTIONS WITH EARTH SURFACE FEATURES
Electromagnetic radiation that passes through the earth$s atmosphere without eing asored or scattered reaches
the earth$s surface to interact in different ways with different materials constituting the surface. 1hen
electromagnetic energy is incident on any given earth surface feature, three fundamental energy interactions with
the feature are possile.
!here are three ways in which the total incident energy will interact with earth$s surface materials. !hese are
)sorption
!ransmission, and
Reflection

)sorption ()) occurs when radiation (energy) is asored into the target while transmission (!) occurs when
radiation passes through a target. Reflection (R) occurs when radiation 6ounces6 off the target and is redirected.
;ow much of the energy is asored, transmitted or reflected y a material will depend upon(
< 1avelength of the energy
< Material constituting the surface, and
< 5ondition of the feature.

Reflection from surfaces occurs in two ways(
+. 1hen the surface is smooth, we get a mirror-like or smooth reflection where all (or almost all) of the incident
energy is reflected in one direction. !his is called *pecular Reflection and gives rise to images.
-. 1hen the surface is rough, the energy is reflected uniformly in almost all directions. !his is called =iffuse
Reflection and does not give rise to images.

*pecular Reflection =iffuse Reflection

Most surface features of the earth lie somewhere etween perfectly specular or perfectly diffuse reflectors. 1hether
a particular target reflects specularly or diffusely, or somewhere in etween, depends on the surface roughness of
the feature in comparison to the wavelength of the incoming radiation.

MICHAEL HEMBROM
6 INTERACTION OF EMR WITH ATMOSPHERE AND EARTH SURFACE
If the wavelengths are much smaller than the surface variations or the particle si9es that make up the
surface, diffuse reflection will dominate. "or e#ample, fine-grained sand would appear fairly smooth
to long wavelength microwaves ut would appear 0uite rough to the visile wavelengths.
>egetation(
) chemical compound in leaves called chlorophyll strongly asors radiation in the red and lue wavelengths ut
reflects green wavelengths.
?eaves appear 6greenest6 to us in the summer, when chlorophyll content is at its ma#imum. In
autumn, there is less chlorophyll in the leaves, so there is less asorption and proportionately more
reflection of the red wavelengths, making the leaves appear red or yellow (yellow is a comination of
red and green wavelengths).

!he internal structure of healthy leaves act as e#cellent diffuse reflectors of near-infrared
wavelengths. If our eyes were sensitive to near-infrared, trees would appear e#tremely right to us at
these wavelengths. In fact, measuring and monitoring the near-IR reflectance is one way that
scientists can determine how healthy (or unhealthy) vegetation may e.
1ater(
?onger wavelength visile and near infrared radiation is asored more y water than shorter visile wavelengths. !hus
water typically looks lue or lue-green due to stronger reflectance at these shorter wavelengths, and darker if viewed at
red or near infrared wavelengths.

MICHAEL HEMBROM
7 INTERACTION OF EMR WITH ATMOSPHERE AND EARTH SURFACE

If there is suspended sediment present in the upper layers of the water ody, then this will allow etter
reflectivity and a righter appearance of the water.
!he apparent colour of the water will show a slight shift towards longer wavelengths.
*uspended sediment (*) can e easily confused with shallow (ut clear) water, since these two
phenomena appear very similar.
5hlorophyll in algae asors more of the lue wavelengths and reflects the green, making the water
appear more green in colour when algae is present.
!he topography of the water surface (rough, smooth, floating materials, etc.) can also lead to
complications for water-related interpretation due to potential prolems of specular reflection and
other influences on colour and rightness.
1e can see from these e#amples that, depending on the comple# make-up of the target that is eing
looked at, and the wavelengths of radiation involved, we can oserve very different responses to the
mechanisms of asorption, transmission, and reflection.










MICHAEL HEMBROM
8 INTERACTION OF EMR WITH ATMOSPHERE AND EARTH SURFACE
*pectral Response of Materials(
'y measuring the energy that is reflected (or emitted) y targets on the Earth$s surface over a variety of different
wavelengths, we can uild up a spectral response for that o%ect. !he spectral response of a material to different
wavelengths of EMR can e represented
graphically as a *pectral Reflectance 5urve.
It may not e possile to distinguish etween
different materials if we were to compare their
response at one wavelength. 'ut y comparing
the response patterns of these materials over a
range of wavelengths (in other words,
comparing their spectral reflectance curves), we
may e ale to distinguish etween them. "or
e#ample, water and vegetation may reflect
somewhat similarly in the visile wavelengths
ut are almost always separale in the infrared.
< *pectral response can e 0uite
variale, even for the same target type, and can
also vary with time (e.g. 6green-ness6 of leaves) and location.