Remote Sensing and Spectral Characteristics of Desert Sand from Qatar Peninsula, ArabianPersian Gulf 英文参考文献.docVIP

Remote Sens. 2009, 1, 915-933; doi:10.3390/rs1040915 OPEN ACCESS Remote Sensing ISSN 2072-4292 /journal/remotesensing Article Remote Sensing and Spectral Characteristics of Desert Sand from Qatar Peninsula, Arabian/Persian Gulf Abdulali Sadiq 1 and Fares Howari 2,* 1 Department of Chemistry Earth Sciences, Qatar University, P O Box 2713, Doha, Qatar; Tel: +974-485-2755; E-Mail: a.sadiq@.qa 2 Environmental Science Program, College of Arts and Science, The University of Texas of the Permian Basin, 4901 East University, Odessa, TX 79762, USA * Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mail: fmhowari@; Tel.: +1-432-552-2220; Fax: +1-432-552-2125. Received: 3 August 2009; in revised form: 27 September 2009 / Accepted: 28 October 2009 / Published: 11 November 2009 Abstract: Remote sensing data can provide valuable information about the surface expression of regional geomorphologic and geological features of arid regions. In the present study, several processing techniques were applied to reveal such in the Qatar Peninsula. Those included preprocessing for radiometric and geometric correction, various enhancement methods, classification, accuracy assessment, contrast stretching, color composition, and principal component analyses. Those were coupled with field groundtruthing and lab analyses. Field groundtruthing included one hundred and forty measurements of spectral reflectance for various sediment exposures representing main sand types in the four studied parts in Qatar. Lab investigations included grain size analysis, X-ray diffraction and laboratory measurements of spectral reflectance. During the course of this study three sand types have been identified: (i) sabkha-derived salt-rich, quartz sand, and (ii) beach-derived calcareous sand and (iii) aeolian dune quartz. Those areas are spectrally distinct in the VNIR, suggesting that VNIR spe