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inInterpretation

UsingRemote SensingImagery

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Perspectivesfrom Space

Earth, Its our home. We in interpretation are dedicated to conveying age-old stories and provoking people to think about our surroundings in newways. In this portion of the session, we will illustrate some ways you mightuse new tools borne of remote sensing, in your interpretive products-be theyprograms, exhibits or writing.

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Some Universal Concepts Tied toNASAs Work

Exploration anddiscovery

Survival

Change

Home

Community

Curiosity

Search forunderstanding

Time

Mystery

Death

Life

If you are familiar with the notion of universal concepts, heres a few thatrelate to some of NASAs work.

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Interpreters can use a wide variety of remote sensing products to augmenttheir presentations and other interpretive products. And, using space-basedimagery can be an effective means to reach young minds.

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NASA Remote Sensing Productsare Great for Interpreters!

Help connect localresources with globalperspective

Can address immediateneeds for information orgraphics

Show change over time

Provide unique views ofnatural disasters

Help interpreterssupport managementdecisions

Help spark interestamong visitors

Connect todaysexploration with themesof historical sites

Are great sources ofinformation

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Just as interpreters work in a broad variety of resources, so too there is abroad variety of remote sensing products which we can use. Someinstruments are on aircraft rather than on satellites.

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Assateague IslandNational Seashore

One example involves Assateague Island, where beach erosion is a criticalresource issue.

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Aerial view of Assateague Island, from an Airborne NASA LIDARMission (Ocean City in distance).

NASA helped out by conducting studies of airborne remote sensors, calledLIDAR, over the park. This aerial view was taken during an airbornemission to map the beach using LIDAR.

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LIDARimagery canhelp visitorsunderstandthe shiftingbeachmorphology ofAssateagueIsland.

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Assateague Island Before and After Feb. 1998NorEasters (data from LIDAR)

Overwash area before1998 NorEasters

Overwash area after1998 NorEasters

One of the final products of this mapping project was this three-Drepresentation of the beach, showing the effects of storm damage to theisland.

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NASA Studies Coral Reefs

New Worldwide Coral Reef Libraryhttp://www.nasa.gov/vision/earth/lookingatearth/coralreef_image.html

Some of you may be surprised to learn the breadth of the research thatNASA does about Earth.

For example did you know that NASA studies coral reefs? Visithttp://www.nasa.gov/vision/earth/lookingatearth/coralreef_image.html

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Some Major Topics of NASAsRemote Sensing Research

Land Use Change Over Time

Human/Other Causes of Global Change

Effects of Natural Disasters

Effects of Local Events on Regional orGlobal Processes

Air Quality

Species Distribution

How might interpreters use all this wonderful work and imagery to connectvisitors with the meanings and significance inherent in their sitesresources?

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Connecting Your Site to theRest of the World

Local changes affect your site

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NASA Studies Urban Growth

Ft. Vancouver NHS (arrow) is nearly surroundedby high density urban use.

Repeat observations can show urban encroachment, and help peopleunderstand the relationship between local decisions and the park experience.

Here, urban growth between 1986 and 1996 is shown in red. The blue linemarks a land use zone boundary.

[local affects local]

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In this Landsatimage, red areasshow vegetation,and blue-grey isbuildings orpavement.Ft. McHenry NMappears as a brightred dot on the edgeof BaltimoreHarbor.

How much land is set aside for preservation? What is the value of harborfront real estate? These are ideas that might be discussed with this image.

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Connecting Your Site to theRest of the World

Local changes affect your site

Local changes affect the globe

Acting locally and thinking globally is a big leap for many people. Its adifficult thing for us to grasp how our individual actions can shape majorchanges on Earth.

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This SeaWiFSimage wastaken shortlyafter a nutrientspill in theHudson River.

New York

Satellites Provide Global Perspectives of Local Events

Heres an example of a local event causing significant regional effects.Anutrient spill caused an algal bloom in the Hudson.

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Yellow aerosols in Canada can betraced back to this copper smelter, inFlin Flon Manitoba.

Local Air Pollution Sources Can Affect Large Areas

Tracking ships plumes

Clouds of a different colorIn this AVHRR image, pink cloudsare clean, and yellow indicatespollution. (Aerosols prevent waterdroplets from becoming largeenough to rain.)

This MODIS image showswhite plumes of aerosolpollutants from ocean ships.

Tracing plumes to the source

Local decisions about air pollution can affect other areas!In 2004, NASAscientists tracked a giant, smoggy atmospheric "brown cloud" that formedover South Asia and Indian Ocean and demonstrated its intercontinentalreach, and effects around the world. Seehttp://www.nasa.gov/vision/earth/environment/brown_cloud.html for moreinfo.

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Connecting Your Site to theRest of the World

Local changes affect your site

Local changes affect the globe

Global changes affect your site

One challenge interpreters face is making connections between our sites andthe rest of the world.

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SatelliteImageryGives Usthe BigPicture...

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For example, Glaciers inGlacier National Parkhave been shrinking.

So Visitors Can Get the Picture Too...

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Between Sept. 1973 and Sept. 1986, the MuirGlacier retreated more than 7 km.

Landsat Repeat Images Show Glacial Retreaton a Large Scale

Global warming is thought to be the cause for glacial retereat in Glacier NP.The scale of this change is difficult to visualize from ground-basedobservations. But from space, we can clearly see what is happening.

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This image fromthe MOPITTinstrument showsthe relativeamount of COover NorthAmerica fromMarch 5-7, 2000.

One concept which is often difficult to convey is the large scale effects ofair pollution, and the regional and global distribution of pollutants. Whatkind of air quality do you have where you live?

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This particular storm reachedover 1000 miles into theAtlantic.

Saharan Dust Storms Affect Coral Reefs

SeaWiFS image taken Saturday, 26 February 2000

Not all global effects are human-caused. How does your site fit in withmajor Earth processes?

Satellite observations couple with ground-based studies revealed the effectof Saharan dust storms on Caribbean coral reefs.

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Interpretation Must beUp to Date

In the midst of large scale events, the timeliness of interpreters informationfor the public can be critical.

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Image from SeaWIFS August 7, 2000, (smoke/aerosols fromthe Montana fires eventually ended up in Florida)

Some imagery is available in near-real time, which can provide you withuseful products for ongoing or recent events, such as wildland fire.

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Landsat 7ETM+ Imageof Montanafires, August14, 2000Dull red pixels showrecent burn scars,bright red pixelsdepict the flamingportions of the burn.Green pixels depictunburnedvegetation.

In summer of 2000, NASA picked up on newsworthy fire events in ourcountry. As a result, many spectacular images were created of the wildlandfires. These were available on the web as the event was happening. You canget these kinds of images too.

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In thisAug. 30,2000MODISimage, firesseen bythermalinfrareddetectorsappear as reddots.Burned areasshow up asblack areasunderneaththe purplesmoke.

Here, satellite imagery is being used to discern the location of the fires hotspots.

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Satellite Imagery HelpsExplain Change Over Time

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Landsat 7 providedclear images of theCerro Grande Firearea before andafter the burn.Here, the extent ofthe fire can beclearly seen (redarea was burned).

One of those universal concepts we mentioned is change...

Because satellites just keep on going round the globe, they take repeatimages which can be very helpful in explaining change over time.

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In the spring of 1988, lightning-sparked fires burned more than800,000 acres inside Yellowstone National Park, and 600,000acres outside the park were burned.

Remember the Yellowstone fires of 1988?

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YellowstoneOne YearAfter theFires

In this Landsatimage, burnedareas are shownin bright red.

Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) False Color ImageImage Processing by Janet Chien

At first it seemed devastating...

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Ten YearsLater...

Forest and brushareas that burnedin 1988 appearpinkish-green.Grassy areas andmeadows appearas bright green.

Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) False ColorImage

Image Processing by Janet Chien

But in just 10 years we can see a significant change on a large scale.

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Satellite Imagery HelpsPeople Understand Natural

Disasters

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These Landsat scenes are of the confluence of the Missouriand Grand Rivers. Notice the farmland in the river flood plain.Bare soil and plowed land appears red, vegetation appearsgreen, and water is dark blue.

September 1992 September 1993

Views from space can also help us to better understand large-scale naturaldisasters, such as floods. Understanding helps us cope with the feeling ofhelplessness that often comes when we experience these events, and canhelp convey messages about how we might live more harmoniously with thenatural rhythms of our planet.

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This Landsat 7 imageshows the enormity ofthe ecological disastercaused by HurricaneFloyd.

Note the silt and sedimentsin the rivers. (Sept.23,1999)

When you are on the ground, it is hard to grasp the size of some of theseevents.

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Remote Sensing SupportsInterpretation in Other

Ways Helps explain and support management

decisions regarding critical resource issues

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Mojave Desert photos by USGS

Interpreters often mustexplain the reasoning behindmanagement decisionslimiting access to certainareas.

As you are well aware, some issues, such as off road vehicle use canbecome quite contentious.Sometimes, interpreters can feel as though theyare caught in the cross-fire.

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The USGS Recoverability andVulnerability of Desert Ecosystemsproject uses information from satelliteimages plus other data to producesurface geology maps like this.

Resource managers and site managers are beginning to use remote sensingtechniques in assessing the impacts of visitor use. Interpreters can use thisinformation to help support their interpretive programs that addressmanagement decisions.

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These maps areadded to theinformationwhich producesa decisionmatrix to helpland managersdecide whatrecreationalactivities toallow.

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This results in management decisionsthat make it possible for everyone toenjoy the desert landscape.

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Remote Sensing SupportsInterpretation in Other

Ways Helps explain and support management

decisions regarding critical resource issues

Space studies represent todays pioneer spiritand can bring new approach for interpretinghistorical/archeological sites

Can be source of content for interpretiveproducts

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http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/

There is a bewildering array of NASA websites dealing with nationalprograms, NASA Center programs, various missions, satellite instruments,and research.

Weve selected this website to get you started. Here you will find article inplain English, on a variety of topics of great relevance to interpreters.Thesearticles might well add substantially to the content of your programs, oreven help you come up with new ideas. There are links to other sites as well.

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NASA Remote Sensing Productsare Great for Interpreters!

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Here is an example of use of Landsat imagery in a National Park setting.This is the interior of Grand Canyon National Parks visitor center.

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Here is an example of use of Landsat imagery in a National Park setting.This is the interior of Grand Canyon National Parks visitor center. Rangerschose Landsat imagery to convey the enormity and the grandeur of theCanyon. Images below the satellite image depict ground-based views keyedto locations on the satellite map.

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The same image is used on this table top, so visitors and rangers can readilyaccess the canyon from all angles.

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The first day or so weall pointed to ourcountries. The third orfourth day we werepointing to ourcontinents. By the fifthday we were aware ofonly one Earth.

- Sultan Bin Salman al-Saud(Saudi Arabia), Astronaut

Remote sensing is one tool for interpreters that effectively communicate atruly global perspective on stewardship.