• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.71-87
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• 2007

In this study, 14 heavy snow events in Yeongdong area which are local phenomena are analyzed using MODIS cloud products provided from NASA/GSFC. The clouds of Yeongdong area at observed at specific time by MODIS are classified into A, B, C Types, based on the characteristic of cloud properties: cloud top temperature, cloud optical thickness, Effective Particle Radius, and Cloud Particle Phase. The analysis of relations between cloud properties and precipitation amount for each cloud type show that there are statistically significant correlations between Cloud Optical Thickness and precipitation amount for both A and B type and also significant correlation is found between Cloud Top Temperature and precipitation amount for A type. However, for C type there is not any significant correlations between cloud properties and precipitation amount. A-type clouds are mainly lower stratus clouds with small-size droplet, which may be formed under the low level cold advection derived synoptically in the East sea. B-type clouds are developed cumuliform clouds, which are closely related to the low pressure center developing over the East sea. On the other hand, C-type clouds are likely multi-layer clouds, which make satellite observation difficult due to covering of high clouds over low level clouds directly related with Yeongdong heavy snow. It is, therefore, concluded that MODIS cloud products may be useful except the multi-layer clouds for understanding the mechanism of heavy snow and estimating the precipitation amount from satellite data in the case of Yeongdong heavy snow.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.371-384
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• 2015

Although GOCI has potential for land surface monitoring, there have been only a few cases for land applications. It might be due to the lack of reliable land products derived from GOCI data for end-users. To use for land applications, it is often essential to provide cloud-free composite over land surfaces. In this study, we proposed a cloud detection method that was very important to make cloud-free composite of GOCI reflectance and vegetation index. Since GOCI does not have SWIR and TIR spectral bands, which are very effective to separate clouds from other land cover types, we developed a multi-temporal approach to detect cloud. The proposed cloud detection method consists of three sequential steps of spectral tests. Firstly, band 1 reflectance threshold was applied to separate confident clear pixels. In second step, thick cloud was detected by the ratio (b1/b8) of band 1 and band 8 reflectance. In third step, average of b1/b8 ratio values during three consecutive days was used to detect thin cloud having mixed spectral characteristics of both cloud and land surfaces. The proposed method provides four classes of cloudiness (thick cloud, thin cloud, probably clear, confident clear). The cloud detection method was validated by the MODIS cloud mask products obtained during the same time as the GOCI data acquisition. The percentages of cloudy and cloud-free pixels between GOCI and MODIS are about the same with less than 10% RMSE. The spatial distributions of clouds detected from the GOCI images were also similar to the MODIS cloud mask products.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.25-38
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• 2016

With the increasing need for high temporal resolution satellite imagery for monitoring land surfaces, this study evaluated the temporal resolution of the NDVI composites from Geostationary Ocean Color Imager (GOCI) data. The GOCI is the first geostationary satellite sensor designed to provide continuous images over a $2,500{\times}2,500km^2$ area of the northeast Asian region with relatively high spatial resolution of 500 m. We used total 2,944 hourly images of the GOCI level 1B radiance data obtained during the one-year period from April 2011 to March 2012. A daily NDVI composite was produced by maximum value compositing of eight hourly images captured during day-time. Further NDVI composites were created with different compositing periods ranging from two to five days. The cloud coverage of each composite was estimated by the cloud detection method developed in study and then compared with the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Aqua cloud product and 16-day NDVI composite. The GOCI NDVI composites showed much higher temporal resolution with less cloud coverage than the MODIS NDVI products. The average of cloud coverage for the five-day GOCI composites during the one year was only 2.5%, which is a significant improvement compared to the 8.9%~19.3% cloud coverage in the MODIS 16-day NDVI composites.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.212-226
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• 2019

This study derived spectral Lambertian Equivalent Reflectance (LER) over East Asia from the observations of Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) onboard polar-orbit satellite Aura. The climatological (October 2004-September 2007) LER values were compared with the surface reflectance products of OMI or MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) in terms of the atmosphere-environment variables as follows: wavelength (UV, visible), surface properties (land, ocean), and cloud filtering. Four kinds of LER outputs in the UV and visible region (328-500 nm) were retrieved based on the averages of lowest (1, 5, and 10%) surface reflectance values as well as the minimum reflectance. The average of the lowest 10% among them was in best agreement with the OMI product: correlation coefficient (0.88), RMSE (1.0%) and mean bias (-0.3%). The 10% average and OMI LER values over ocean were 2% larger in UV than in visible, while the values over land were 1% smaller. The LER variability on the wavelength and surface property was highest (~3%) in the condition of both land and visible, particularly in the ice-cap and desert regions. The minimum reflectance values over the oceanic and inland sample areas overestimated the MODIS product by 1.4%. This high-resolution MODIS observations were effective in removing cloud contamination. The relative errors of the 10% average to MODIS were smaller (-0.6%) over ocean but larger (1.5%) over land than those of the OMI product to MODIS. The reduced relative error in the OMI product over land may result from additional cloud filtering using the Landsat data. This study will be useful when retrieveing the surface reflectance from geostationary-orbit environmental satellite (e.g., Geostationary Environment Monitoring Spectrometer; GEMS).

• Korean Journal of Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.132-139
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• 2007

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) regularly provides the eight-day gross primary productivity (GPP) at 1 km resolution. In this study, we evaluated the uncertainties of MODIS GPP caused by errors associated with the Data Assimilation Office (DAO) meteorology and a biophysical variable (fraction of absorbed photosynthetically active radiation, FPAR). In order to recalculate the improved GPP estimate, we employed ground weather station data and reconstructed cloud-free FPAR. The official MODIS GPP was evaluated as +17% higher than the improved GPP. The error associated with DAO meteorology was identified as the primary and the error from the cloud-contaminated FPAR as the secondary constituent in the integrative uncertainty. Among various biome types, the highest relative error of the official MODIS GPP to the improved GPP was found in the mixed forest biome with RE of 20% and the smallest errors were shown in crop land cover at 11%. Our results indicated that the uncertainty embedded in the official MODIS GPP product was considerable, indicating that the MODIS GPP needs to be reconstructed with the improved input data of daily surface meteorology and cloud-free FPAR in order to accurately monitor vegetation productivity in Korea.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.28 no.9
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• pp.765-784
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• 2019

The synoptic structural characteristics associated with heavy snowfall (Bukgangneung: 31.3 cm) that occurred in the Yeongdong area on 20 January 2017 was investigated using surface and upper-level weather charts, European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) reanalysis data, radiosonde data, and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) cloud product. The cold dome and warm trough of approximately 500 hPa appeared with tropopause folding. As a result, cold and dry air penetrated into the middle and upper levels. At this time, the enhanced cyclonic potential vorticity caused strong baroclinicity, resulting in the sudden development of low pressure at the surface. Under the synoptic structure, localized heavy snowfall occurred in the Yeongdong area within a short time. These results can be confirmed from the vertical analysis of radiosonde data and the characteristics of the MODIS cloud product.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.37 no.6_1
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• pp.1545-1557
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• 2021

Crops show sensitive spectral characteristics according to their species and growth conditions and although frequent observation is required especially in summer, it is difficult to utilize optical satellite images due to the rainy season. To solve this problem, Constrained Cloud-Maximum Normalized difference vegetation index Composite (CC-MNC) algorithm was developed to generate periodic composite images with minimal cloud effect. In thisstudy, using this method, monthly Sentinel-2A/B Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) composite images were produced for paddies and high-latitude cabbage fields from 2019 to 2021. In August 2020, which received 200mm more precipitation than other periods, the effect of clouds, was also significant in MODIS NDVI 16-day composite product. Except for this period, the CC-MNC method was able to reduce the cloud ratio of 45.4% of the original daily image to 14.9%. In the case of rice paddy, there was no significant difference between Sentinel-2A/B and MODIS NDVI values. In addition, it was possible to monitor the rice growth cycle well even with a revisit cycle 5 days. In the case of high-latitude cabbage fields, Sentinel-2A/B showed the short growth cycle of cabbage well, but MODIS showed limitations in spatial resolution. In addition, the CC-MNC method showed that cloud pixels were used for compositing at the harvest time, suggesting that the View Zenith Angle (VZA) threshold needsto be adjusted according to the domestic region.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.339-351
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• 2016

For the safety of sea, it is important to monitor sea fog, one of the dangerous meteorological phenomena which cause marine accidents. To detect and monitor sea fog, Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data which is capable to provide spatial distribution of sea fog has been used. The previous automatic sea fog detection algorithms were focused on detecting sea fog using Terra/MODIS only. The improved algorithm is based on the sea fog detection algorithm by Wu and Li (2014) and it is applicable to both Terra and Aqua MODIS data. We have focused on detecting spring season sea fog events in the Yellow Sea. The algorithm includes application of cloud mask product, the Normalized Difference Snow Index (NDSI), the STandard Deviation test using infrared channel ($STD_{IR}$) with various window size, Temperature Difference Index(TDI) in the algorithm (BTCT - SST) and Normalized Water Vapor Index (NWVI). Through the calculation of the Hanssen-Kuiper Skill Score (KSS) using sea fog manual detection result, we derived more suitable threshold for each index. The adjusted threshold is expected to bring higher accuracy of sea fog detection for spring season daytime sea fog detection using MODIS in the Yellow Sea.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.609-626
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• 2020

Satellite-based land surface temperature (LST) has been used as one of the major parameters in various climate and environmental models. Especially, Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) LST is the most widely used satellite-based LST product due to its spatiotemporal coverage (1 km spatial and sub-daily temporal resolutions) and longevity (> 20 years). However, there is an increasing demand for LST products with finer spatial resolution (e.g., 10-250 m) over regions such as urban areas. Therefore, various methods have been proposed to produce high-resolution MODIS-like LST less than 250 m (e.g., 100 m). The purpose of this review is to provide a comprehensive overview of recent research trends and challenges for the downscaling of MODIS LST. Based on the recent literature survey for the past decade, the downscaling techniques classified into three groups-kernel-driven, fusion-based, and the combination of kernel-driven and fusion-based methods-were reviewed with their pros and cons. Then, five open issues and challenges were discussed: uncertainty in LST retrievals, low thermal contrast, the nonlinearity of LST temporal change, cloud contamination, and model generalization. Future research directions of LST downscaling were finally provided.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
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• v.57 no.3
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• pp.109-120
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• 2015

Spatial heterogeneous characteristics of solar radiation energy from Climate Change gives rise to energy imbalance in the general ecological system including water resources. This study is to estimate the $CO_2$ flux of South Korea using Terra MODIS image and to assess the reliability of MODIS data from the ground measured $CO_2$ flux by eddy covariance flux tower data at 3 locations (two at mixed forest area and one at rice paddy area). The MODIS Gross Primary Productivity (GPP) product (MOD17A2), 8-day composite at 1-km spatial resolution was adopted for the spatial $CO_2$ flux generation. The MOD17A2 data by noise like cloud and snow in a day were tried to fill by Inverse Distance Weighted (IDW) method from valid pixels and the damping effect of MOD17A2 data were corrected by Quality Control (QC) flag. The MODIS $CO_2$ flux was estimated as the sum of GPP and Re (ecosystem respiration) by Lloyd and Taylor method (1994). The determination coefficient ($R^2$) between MODIS $CO_2$ and flux tower $CO_2$ for 3 years (2011~2013) showed 0.55 and 0.60 in 2 mixed forests and 0.56 in rice paddy respectively. The $CO_2$ flux generally fluctuated showing minus values during summer rainy season (from July to August) and maintaining plus values for other periods. The MODIS $CO_2$ flux can be a useful information for extensive area, for example, as a reliable indicator on ecological circulation system.