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Landscapes on the Edge New Horizons for Research on Earth's Surface (2010) / Chapter Skim
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Appendix C: Observing and Measuring Earth Surface Processes
Pages 149-154

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From page 149...
... mass flux or physical properties of the landscape. C.1 REMOTE SENSING Widespread availability of digital data of Earth's topography and other surface attributes, collected predominantly by satellites and aircraft, allows study of vast regions, comparison of different parts of Earth's surface, monitoring of Earth surface hazards in real time, and quantification of properties such as terrain dissection, vegetation type and height, ground moisture content, and soil mineralogy.
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From page 150...
... Sensors mounted on satellite platforms measure various bands of the electromagnetic • spectrum to produce images of land and water surfaces at wavelengths appropriate to determine vegetation type, general chemical composition, temperature, water content, and other aspects of a given land or water surface. Data from federally, commercially, or internationally owned and operated satellites are available either freely online or for purchase.
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From page 151...
... Biogeochemical tools are used to study weathering rates and mechanisms, issues of soil fertility, interpretation of biological fluxes, contaminant geochemistry, bioavailability and mobility of elements, soil organic matter, fractions of carbon, evapotranspiration, elemental cycling, exposure age dating, interpretation of hydrology, and biotic characteristics, among others. Broadly speaking, these tools can be categorized by the type of analysis they support.
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From page 152...
... Methods used to obtain this type of information include the following: Advanced seismic methods that use two- and three-dimensional imaging with • acoustic waves to resolve fossilized surface features to resolutions of 1 meter or better in the field and, up to several kilometers below the surface; Electromagnetic resistivity, tomography, and magnetometers measure electrical and/ • or magnetic fields to yield data on groundwater flow and subsurface geometry and structures; electrodes or magnetometers are placed at the surface or in boreholes; Rock core-logging tools are attached to a drillstem to measure downhole neutron • density, natural gamma radiation, resistivity, and sonic properties of rock during drilling to yield data that indicate density, porosity, permeability, and to some degree, composition of the rock column; Ground-penetrating radar yields two- and three-dimensional subsurface images • at imaging depths between about 1 and 50 meters; radar pulses are emitted and collected from units that can be hand-held or mounted on vehicles; 
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From page 153...
... C.5 REFERENCE National Research Council (NRC)
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Key Terms

  • surface processes
  • neutron diffraction
  • yield data
  • processes research
  • organic matter

  • chemical species
  • topographic analysis
  • mass flux
  • dating techniques
  • vegetation type

  • surface features
  • chemical composition
  • biogeochemical data
  • surface attributes
  • precise time

  • natural gamma
  • image analysis
  • marine water
  • size analysis
  • moisture content

  • spectroscopy provides
  • tree ring
  • yielded detailed
  • reference national
  • vast regions

  • absorption analysis
  • terrain models
  • surface including
  • digital elevation
  • allow measurement


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