Image acquired by the VENµS satellite, 2018, over the Zin Valley, Negev Desert, Israel
Activities
The Remote Sensing Laboratory research subjects and activities are:
SOIL AND VEGETATION IN SEMI-ARID ENVIRONMENTS
Spectral characteristics of biogenic soil crusts can be similar to those of higher plants, especially when the crusts are wet. Therefore, in semi-arid environments, the reflectance of lower plant communities may lead to misinterpretation of the vegetation dynamics and overestimation of ecosystem productivity.
MARINE APPLICATIONS OF REMOTE SENSING
Remote detection of water leaving radiance is quantitatively related to three marine constituents, which exist in the water column – chlorophyll (CHL); suspended matter (SM) such as sediments; and colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM), also known as Gelbstoff. The variation of the volume reflectance of these constituents is rather complicated.
SPECTRAL CHARACTERISTICS OF LICHENS AFFECTED BY AIR POLLUTION
Lichens are sensitive in varying degrees to man-induced pollutants such as sulphur dioxide. This fact is widely used as an indicator of air quality.
INTERACTIONS BETWEEN THE SOLAR RADIATION AND THE GROUND
The Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function (BRDF) describes the directional dependence of the reflected energy of a target as a function of illumination and viewing geometries.
VICARIOUS CALIBRATION OF AIR- AND SPACE-BORNE SENSORS
The Negev Desert (Israel) is of considerable interest in calibrating/validating of satellites’ data for many scientists around the world.
LAND SURFACE TEMPERATURE, THERMAL APPLICATIONS
Thermal anomaly across the Israel-Egypt political border was observed in satellite images. This anomaly was explained by the different properties of the sand dunes of both sides of the border. While the Israeli side is covered by biogenic soil crust, the Egyptian side is characterized by bare sands.
PRECISION AGRICULTUREDESERT AEROSOLS
Precision agriculture or site specific management consider agricultural activities in variety of scales smaller than the field scale all the way down to specific plants.