Radiative Transfer Modeling

East Lansing, MI, USA Pyongyang, North Korea

Johannesburg, South Africa Brasilia, Brazil

GEO424 – Advanced Remote Sensing
 Radiative Transfer Modeling
 For all of our class so far, we have assumed
that we have some remotely sensed data,
and we want to figure out what’s in it.
(vegetation, soil, buildings, etc)
 BUT, what if, instead, we had a landscape
of interest, and we wanted to know what it
looked like to a sensor.
 THAT’S RADIATIVE TRANSFER
MODELING.

GEO424 – Advanced Remote Sensing

Radiative Transfer Modeling

https://www.hawaii-guide.com/content/posts/hawaii_gardens

GEO424 – Advanced Remote Sensing

Radiative Transfer Modeling

https://blog.yiningkarlli.com

GEO424 – Advanced Remote Sensing

Radiative Transfer Modeling

https://blog.yiningkarlli.com

GEO424 – Advanced Remote Sensing

Radiative Transfer Modeling

https://blog.yiningkarlli.com/2016/11/moana.html

GEO424 – Advanced Remote Sensing

 Radiative Transfer Modeling
(aka ‘Path tracing’ or ‘Ray tracing’)
Designer makes a 3D model of a landscape (or whatever)

Disney Animation’s Hyperion and http://www.cgmeetup.net/home/disneys-practical-guide-to-path-tracing/

GEO424 – Advanced Remote Sensing

 Radiative Transfer Modeling
(aka ‘Path tracing’ or ‘Ray tracing’)
Trace all the millions of possible paths of light from the sun

Disney Animation’s Hyperion and http://www.cgmeetup.net/home/disneys-practical-guide-to-path-tracing/

GEO424 – Advanced Remote Sensing

 Radiative Transfer Modeling
(aka ‘Path tracing’ or ‘Ray tracing’)
But really we only need to ‘see’ the ones that the sensor detects.

Disney Animation’s Hyperion and http://www.cgmeetup.net/home/disneys-practical-guide-to-path-tracing/

GEO424 – Advanced Remote Sensing

 Radiative Transfer Modeling
 Path/Ray Tracing is an important
component of Radiative Transfer
Modeling.
 Only we also have to think about finer
spectral resolution (wavelengths of light
within and beyond the visible).

GEO424 – Advanced Remote Sensing

Radiative Transfer Modeling
Most RTM research is focused on the atmosphere

www.aer.com

GEO424 – Advanced Remote Sensing

 Radiative Transfer Modeling
 “Radiative transfer” is just the process of light
(electromagnetic radiation) transferring between
objects.
 Radiative transfer modeling (RTM) is, therefore,
mathematically modeling that transfer.
 Plants and the atmosphere are extra complicated
because they are semi-transparent. Other materials
are more straightforward.
 RTM is also more complicated for us than for
animators because we don’t just care about
VISIBLE light.

GEO424 – Advanced Remote Sensing

 Radiative Transfer Modeling
 Interaction of Sunlight (E↓) with Earth features

 Reflected (ρ (rho) = reflectance)

 Transmitted (τ (tau) = transmittance)
 Absorbed (α (alpha) = absorptance)
 E(λ)↓ = Ερ (λ) + Ετ(λ) + Εα(λ)
 Ερ(λ) = Ε↓(λ) − [ Ετ(λ) + Εα(λ)]
 Ετ(λ) = Ε↓(λ) − [ Ερ (λ) + Εα(λ)]
GEO424 – Advanced Remote Sensing
 Radiative Transfer Modeling
 As ERM moves through different media
(stuff) it attenuates.
 The Beer-Lambert Law (aka Beer’s Law)
describes light attenuation through materials.
Φ𝑒𝑒𝑡𝑡
𝑇𝑇 = = 𝑒𝑒 −𝜏𝜏 = 10−𝐴𝐴
Φ𝑒𝑒𝑖𝑖

phi
 Φ𝑒𝑒𝑡𝑡 = radiant flux transmitted by material
 Φ𝑒𝑒𝑖𝑖 = radiant flux received by material
 e = mathematical constant ~2.71828
tau  𝜏𝜏 = optical depth
 A = absorbance
GEO424 – Advanced Remote Sensing
 Radiative Transfer Modeling
 As ERM moves through different media
(stuff) it attenuates.
 The Beer-Lambert Law (aka Beer’s Law)
describes light attenuation through materials.
Φ𝑒𝑒𝑡𝑡
𝑇𝑇 = = 𝑒𝑒 −𝜏𝜏 = 10−𝐴𝐴
Φ𝑒𝑒𝑖𝑖

 AND as you stack up different

materials, you can (basically) just add
up the transmittance equations.

GEO424 – Advanced Remote Sensing

 RTM for Rocks
Some makes it to the
detector! Which has
Light is emitted from the sun
specific properties.
Some bounces off or
is absorbed by clouds
& the atmosphere

Some hits the More bounces off or is

rock surface absorbed by clouds &
the atmosphere

Some bounces off

the rock surface

Some is absorbed by
the rock, depending on
its chemical properties

GEO424 – Advanced Remote Sensing zionguide.com

 RTM of Rocks
 So you need to know…
 Location of the point on the ground
 Ground location properties (topography)
 Location of the sensor/observer
 Location of the sun (time of collection)
 Strength of sunlight (λ specific)
 Atmospheric interference (λ specific)
 Properties of object(s) in pixel (λ specific)
 Properties of sensor – size of lens, focal
length, detector properties (# bands,
accuracy, etc) (λ specific)

GEO424 – Advanced Remote Sensing

 RTM of Rocks
 So you need to know…
 Location of the point on the ground
 Ground location properties (topography)
 Location of the sensor/observer
 Location of the sun (time of collection)
 Strength of sunlight (λ specific)
 Atmospheric interference (λ specific)
 Properties of object(s) in pixel (λ specific)
 Properties of sensor – size of lens, focal
length, detector properties (# bands,
accuracy, etc) (λ specific)

GEO424 – Advanced Remote Sensing

 RTM of Soil
 Soil reflectance: #1 control: moisture content

GEO424 – Advanced Remote Sensing

 RTM of Soil
 Soil reflectance: #2 control: organic matter content
Mineral Soils

OM content

Vis NIR SWIR

GEO424 – Advanced Remote Sensing

 RTM of Soil
 Particle size vs. soil reflectance
Lab
experiment data

But, the covariates of moisture and OM

content usually REVERSE this relationship
(i.e., sand brighter; clay and silt darker)
RTM lets you model this contradiction!

GEO424 – Advanced Remote Sensing

 RTM of Vegetation (Leaf level)
 Vegetation reflectance (cartoon)
vis near IR SWIR

GEO424 – Advanced Remote Sensing

 RTM of Vegetation (Leaf level)
 Soil reflectance: peaks in the NIR or SWIR
 Which parts of the EMR spectrum would
easily separate most soils from vegetation?

GEO424 – Advanced Remote Sensing

 RTM of Vegetation (Leaf level)
 Vegetation reflectance in the NIR
 Dominated by internal reflectance, due to large changes
in the index of refraction of plant cells vs. air voids.

GEO424 – Advanced Remote Sensing

 RTM of Vegetation (Leaf level)
 Vegetation reflectance in the NIR
Sensitive to
internal
leaf
structure

GEO424 – Advanced Remote Sensing

 RTM of Vegetation (Leaf level)
 Vegetation reflectance in the NIR
 Sensitive to maturity differences

GEO424 – Advanced Remote Sensing

 RTM of Vegetation (Leaf level)
 Vegetation reflectance in the SWIR
 Primary
biophysical
control of
reflectance
 Internal leaf
moisture
content

GEO424 – Advanced Remote Sensing

RTM of Vegetation (Leaf level)

Thin line = fresh leaf

Thick line = dry leaf
http://speclab.cr.usgs.gov/national.parks/Yellowstone/ynppaper.html

GEO424 – Advanced Remote Sensing

RTM of Vegetation (Leaf level)
Some makes it to the
detector! Which has
Light is emitted from the sun
specific properties.
Some bounces off or
is absorbed by clouds
& the atmosphere

Some hits the More bounces off or is

leaf surface absorbed by clouds &
the atmosphere

Some bounces off the

leaf surface

Some gets absorbed by chlorophyll (and other

plant pigments), some passes through air spaces,
some gets absorbed by or passes through water,
all depends on the properties of the leaf (species,
age, chemical composition, water content, etc.)
GEO424 – Advanced Remote Sensing zionguide.com
RTM of Vegetation (Leaf level)
Some makes it to the
detector! Which has
Light is emitted from the sun
specific properties.
Some bounces off or
is absorbed by clouds
& the atmosphere

Some hits the More bounces off or is

leaf surface absorbed by clouds &
the atmosphere

Some bounces off the

leaf surface

AND everything changes if the leaf is

at an angle (back to ray/path tracing).

GEO424 – Advanced Remote Sensing zionguide.com

RTM of Vegetation (Canopy Level)
Shifting from LEAF to CANOPY

GEO424 – Advanced Remote Sensing

 RTM of Vegetation (Canopy Level)
 Vegetation reflectance in the NIR
 Sensitive
to foliar
biomass
due to the
high
transmission
of NIR

GEO424 – Advanced Remote Sensing

 RTM of Vegetation (Canopy Level)
 In a canopy, high vegetation transmittance in
the NIR yields high ρnir ρnir = 0.500 + 0.125 + 0.031 = 0.656

Jensen, 2000

GEO424 – Advanced Remote Sensing

 RTM of Vegetation (Canopy Level)
 Leaf angle also (still) matters.

Vertical Horizontal
(ex: Eucalyptus) (ex: Strawberry)

Clumped
(ex: Pine)
Leaf angle and
Random clumping factor
(ex: Maple) are separate
things (ex: can
have vertical
leaves that are
clumped)

GEO424 – Advanced Remote Sensing

 RTM of Water
 Spectral partitioning by deep, clear water

GEO424 – Advanced Remote Sensing

 RTM of Water
 Water reflectance – multiple sources
a. upward scattering by inorganic
suspended material
b. upward scattering from water
molecules
c. absorption by dissolved
organic material (DOM)
d. bottom reflectance
e. upward scattering from
phytoplankton (algae)

GEO424 – Advanced Remote Sensing

 RTM of Snow and Clouds
 Snow and clouds reflectance

GEO424 – Advanced Remote Sensing

Intersection between Science & Art

Images from cgtrader.com

GEO424 – Advanced Remote Sensing