Istituto di Metodologie per l’Analisi Ambientale (IMAA), CNR, Tito Scalo (PZ), Italy

This paper presents the preliminary results analysing the correlation between local seismicity and geoelectrical, hydrogeological and geochemical signals concomitantly recorded in Basilicata Region, one of the most seismically active areas in Southern Italy. The signals were recorded by two stations: Tito and Tramutola. Tito station measures vertically the Self-Potential field (SP) by an array of five no-polarizable electrodes equally spaced with the common electrode at 20 m depth as well as water-level, water-temperature and electrical-conductivity. Tramutola station measures self-potential signals in soil surface, gas flow and water temperature in a thermal-water well, as well as atmospheric barometric pressure and ambient temperature. Correlations were found between the sharp variability of the signals recorded by both stations and the seismic sequence that occurred on September 3 to 4, 2004, allowing us to link these anomalies with the tectonic evolution of the investigated area.

This work explores three years of geochemical signals recorded by Pieschi station (Southern Italy). The measuring station is located in a thermal spring located in the Southern Apennines Chain, one of the most seismically active areas of the Mediterranean region. The spring is located close to a geophysical monitoring network installed in 2001 by IMAA-CNR. The probe is able to record temperature and water conductivity with a sampling rate of 10 min. From November 2001 to February 2005 several anomalous variations of water conductivity were recorded. Correlation analysis with selected local earthquakes was carried out to identify events inducing strain effects in the investigated area.

The main objective of land remotely sensed images is to derive biological, chemical and physical parameters by inverting sample sets of spectral data. For the above aim hyperspectral scanners on airborne platform are a powerful remote sensing instrument for both research and environmental applications because of their spectral resolution and the high operability of the platform. Fine spectral information by MIVIS (airborne hyperspectral scanner operating in 102 channels ranging from VIS to TIR) allows researchers to characterize atmospheric parameters and their effects on measured data which produce undesirable features on surface spectral signatures. These effects can be estimated (and remotely sensed radiances corrected) if atmospheric spectral transmittance is known at each image pixel. Usually ground-based punctual observations (atmospheric sounding balloons, sun photometers, etc.) are used to estimate the main physical parameters (like water vapor and temperature profiles) which permit us to estimate atmospheric spectral transmittance by using suitable radiative transfer model and a specific (often too strong) assumption which enable atmospheric properties measured only in very few points to be extended to the whole image. Several atmospheric gases produce observable absorption features, but only water vapor strongly varies in time and space. In this work the authors customize a self-sufficient «split-window technique» to derive (at each image pixel) atmospheric total columnar water vapor content (TWVC) using only MIVIS data collected by the fourth MIVIS spectrometer (Thermal Infrared band). MIVIS radiances have been simulated by means of MODTRAN4 radiative transfer code and the coefficients of linear regression to estimate TWVC from «split-windows» MIVIS radiances, based on 450 atmospheric water vapor profiles obtained by radiosonde data provided by NOAA\NESDIS. The method has been applied to produce maps describing the spatial variability of the water vapor columnar content along a trial scene. The procedure has been validated by means of the MIVIS data acquired over Venice and the contemporary radiosonde data. A discrepancy within 5% has been measured between the estimate of TWVC derived from the proposed self-sufficient split-window technique and the coincident radiosonde measurements. If confirmed by further analyses such a result will permit us to fully exploit MIVIS TIR capability to offer a more effective (at image pixel level) and self-sufficient (no ancillary observations required) way to obtain atmospherically corrected MIVIS radiances.

The use of airborne scanners involves geo-referencing problems, which are difficult because of the need to know the exact platform position and attitude for each scan line. The errors of the onboard navigation system are normally corrected using ground control point on the image. This post-processing correction procedure is too long in case of multiple flight campaigns, and besides it implies the need to have available 1:10000 orthophotoimages or maps in digital format. To optimize the above procedure a new method to correct MIVIS navigational data in the post-processing phase has been implemented. The procedure takes into consideration the GPS stream in Rinex format of common knowledge and findable on the web, acquired at the ground stations of the Geodetic Data Archiving Facilities provided by ASI. The application of this correction entails the assumption that the environmental variables affecting both onboard and geodetic GPS equally affect the position measurements. The airborne data correction was carried out merging the two data sets (onboard and ground station GPS) to achieve a more precise aircraft trajectory. The present study compares the geo-coded images obtained by means of the two post-processing methods.

Remotely sensed data, recorded by means of the MIVIS hyperspectral scanner in the framework of the research activity of the CNR Institutes IIA-LARA and IMAA, have been calibrated to reflectance values and then quantitatively compared with ground data. A new procedure for radiometric calibration has been defined by utilizing the MIVIS test-bench and applying a wider radiance range with respect to the one provided by the manufacturing company. New calibration curves have been determined and applied in the pre-processing chain. For validation purpose ground spectra were measured during the campaign by means of a portable spectroradiometer. The atmospheric correction has been carried out by implementing an IDL procedure to manage MODTRAN4 input and output cards. MIVIS test data acquired over Passo Corese (Roma) have shown how the new calibration coefficients significantly improve the radiometric accuracy. In particular, in the VIS spectral region the percentage error, with respect to a ground truth spectrum, is about half of that occurring if the standard calibration coefficients are used.

new experimental approach to land analysis has recently been developed, based on the integration of information acquired on different scales; it enables the structure and the functionality of the vegetation in natural ecosystems to be analysed. This research aims at assessing the potentiality of the experimental approach by the integration of airborne and satellite remotely sensed data with ground measurements of structural parameters. In July 1999 a joint campaign for the acquisition of airborne (MIVIS, spatial resolution 3 m) and satellite remotely sensed data (Landsat 5TM, spatial resolution 30 m) and measures taken at ground (PAI), was deployed in the Presidential Estate at Castelporziano (Rome, Italy). The spectral signatures of the main vegetational types of the Estate were examined and the PAI were related to NDVI values, calculated by means of satellite and airborne images. The adopted approach enabled PAI maps to be produced. The linear relation between measured PAI and estimated PAI showed a higher coefficient of determination when the MIVIS data were used. The sensor high spectral resolution has moreover allowed to better describe the structural characteristics of the main plant typologies at Castelporziano Estate.