LANDSAT-7 and coral reef coverage

Frank Muller-Karger (U. South FLorida / Marine Sci.) carib at marine.usf.edu
Mon Apr 21 12:29:01 EDT 1997




******** PLEASE PASS ON AS NEEDED **************



Dear Colleague:

NASA is preparing to launch the LANDSAT-7 satellite in May, 1998, carrying
the ETM+ (Enhanced Thematic Mapper plus) instrument. The LANDSAT-7 mission
is an integral part of NASA's Earth Observing System, and as such, data
will be available at cost of reproduction from the US archives which will
be operated by the EROS Data Center. While a price for cost of
reproduction has not been defined yet, it is expected that the ETM+ data
will be either free of cost or delivered at less than US$500 per scene.
Further, please note that ETM+ data will not have copyright restrictions
and therefore you will be able to share the data freely.

In an effort to assess the requirements for remote sensing of coral reefs,
we are soliciting inputs from coral reef researchers as well as resource
managers from around the world. In essence, we are seeking your input in
order to ensure maximum coverage of key research sites.

Please assemble the following information and forward it to my attention
(Frank Muller-Karger, carib at carbon.marine.usf.edu).
Please use a clear subject title in your mail message, and include:


- path/row, lat/lon location of each reef
- desired acquisition frequency for the archive
        -- how many times a year
        -- which times of year
- conditions of acquisition
        -- gain settings (high or low gain)
        -- cloudiness level
        -- solar zenith angle
- any requirements for night imagery
- short science justification for putting reef data in the archive


We will attempt to assemble a list of targets for LANDSAT-7, and your
input is important to succeed in scheduling routine coverage of key coral
reef regions around the globe. This information will be supplied to the
LANDSAT-7 Project Office and Mission Operactions Center.


For background information on the mission:

The LANDSAT-7 ETM+ will have the same bands as the TM of LANDSATs-4 and 5,
and in addition it will have:
- a panchromatic band with 15m spatial resolution
- on board, full aperture, 5% absolute radiometric calibration
- a thermal IR channel with 60m spatial resolution

A summary description of the LANDSAT-7 and ETM+ may be found at:
http://geo.arc.nasa.gov/sge/landsat/l7.html

The recent history and developments of the Landsat-7 mission may be
reviewed at:
http://atlantis.idinc.com/landsat/


Thank you for your attention,

Frank Muller-Karger
(LANDSAT Science Team Member)

__________________________________ FMK ________________________________________


Frank Muller-Karger			Remote Sensing/Biological Oceanogr.
Department of Marine Science
University of South Florida		Phone: (813) 553-3335 (Off.)
140 7th Ave. South			       (813) 893-9186 (Lab.)
St Petersburg, FL 33701			FAX:   (813) 893-9103

                                        << carib at carbon.marine.usf.edu >>
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