Thermal remote sensing with an autonomous unmanned aerial remote sensing platform for surface stream temperatures

Stream temperature is important for understanding the environment within a stream. Many collect these data at discrete locations over specific time periods using temperature sensors, however it is becoming more common to gather thermal imagery to have a spatially distributed understanding. The utility of these data can be limited due to cost, and spatial and temporal resolutions. This paper presents a platform for low-cost high-resolution thermal imagery using an unmanned aerial vehicle (AggieAir1). AggieAir can be used to acquire visual, near-infrared (NIR), and thermal imagery at high spatial and temporal resolutions at a much lower cost when compared to conventional sources of remote sensing. In this application, AggieAir is used to collect visual, NIR, and thermal imagery for a stream in northern Utah. Details about the payload and postprocessing methods are presented. The resulting imagery was used to clip the thermal mosaic to only include pixels associated with the stream. This thermal image provided 30cm×30cm resolution stream temperatures. Finally, a simple method of adjusting the images to observed temperatures is proposed to provide better information regarding absolute stream temperatures which are key in understanding the health of the aquatic ecosystem.

[1]  Stephen J. Burges,et al.  Use of Thermal Infrared Imagery to Complement Monitoring and Modeling of Spatial Stream Temperatures , 2009 .

[2]  T. Kennedy,et al.  Basal Resources in Backwaters of the Colorado River Below Glen Canyon Dam-Effects of Discharge Regimes and Comparison with Mainstem Depositional Environments , 2010 .

[3]  John S. Selker,et al.  A distributed stream temperature model using high resolution temperature observations , 2007 .

[4]  Steven M Gorelick,et al.  Quantifying stream-aquifer interactions through the analysis of remotely sensed thermographic profiles and in situ temperature histories. , 2006, Environmental science & technology.

[5]  Austin M. Jensen,et al.  Use of high-resolution multispectral imagery acquired with an autonomous unmanned aerial vehicle to quantify the spread of an invasive wetlands species , 2011, 2011 IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium.

[6]  Q. G. Bingham,et al.  Application of high‐resolution, remotely sensed data for transient storage modeling parameter estimation , 2012 .

[7]  M. Baker,et al.  Predicting Fish Growth Potential and Identifying Water Quality Constraints: A Spatially-Explicit Bioenergetics Approach , 2011, Environmental management.

[8]  Yangquan Chen,et al.  Using a multispectral autonomous unmanned aerial remote sensing platform (AggieAir) for riparian and wetlands applications , 2011, 2011 IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium.

[9]  Luis A. Bartolucci,et al.  THERMAL MAPPING OF STREAMS FROM AIRBORNE RADIOMETRIC SCANNING , 1971 .

[10]  Hiram W. Li,et al.  MULTISCALE THERMAL REFUGIA AND STREAM HABITAT ASSOCIATIONS OF CHINOOK SALMON IN NORTHEASTERN OREGON , 1999 .

[11]  M. Childs,et al.  Resource Use by Larval and Early Juvenile Native Fishes in the Little Colorado River, Grand Canyon, Arizona , 1998 .

[12]  Alan R. Gillespie,et al.  Stream-temperature estimation from thermal infrared images , 2001, IGARSS 2001. Scanning the Present and Resolving the Future. Proceedings. IEEE 2001 International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium (Cat. No.01CH37217).

[13]  George W. Brown,et al.  Predicting Temperatures of Small Streams , 1969 .