Samantha Jane Lavender

Pixalytics

This review paper reports on the state-of-the-art concerning observations of surface winds, waves, and currents from space and their use for scientific research and subsequent applications. The development of observations of sea state parameters from space dates back to the 1970s, with a significant increase in the number and diversity of space mis...

The ocean plays a central role in modulating the Earth’s carbon cycle. Monitoring how the ocean carbon cycle is changing is fundamental to managing climate change. Satellite remote sensing is currently our best tool for viewing the ocean surface globally and systematically, at high spatial and temporal resolutions, and the past few decades have see...

Detection of potentially gas flaring-related pollution on vegetation cover using remotely sensed data at 11 flaring sites in Rivers State, Nigeria is the emphasis of this research. 21 Landsat 7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM ), and 4 Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager and Thermal Infrared Sensor (OLI-TIRS) data dated from 21/04/2000 to 05/02/202...

The detection of waste plastics in the marine and terrestrial environment using satellite Earth Observation data offers the possibility of large-scale mapping, and reducing on-the-ground manual investigation. In addition, costs are kept to a minimum by utilizing free-to-access Copernicus data. A Machine Learning based classifier was developed to ru...

The detection of waste plastics in the marine and terrestrial environment using satellite Earth Observation data offers the possibility of large-scale mapping and reducing on-the-ground manual investigation. In addition, costs are kept to a minimum by utilizing free-to-access Copernicus data. A Machine Learning-based classifier was developed to run...

The detection of waste plastics in the marine and terrestrial environment using satellite Earth Observation data offers the possibility of large-scale mapping, and reducing on-the-ground manual investigation. In addition, costs are kept to a minimum by utilizing free-to-access Copernicus data. A Machine Learning based classifier was developed to ru...

This research examines the effects of South prevailing wind on Land Surface Temperature (LST) retrieved from Earth Observation (EO) Satellites at 11 gas flaring sites in Rivers State, Niger Delta region, Nigeria. 7 Landsat 5 Thematic Mapper (TM) and 18 Landsat 7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) from 17/01/1986 to 08/03/2013 with < 5 % cloud con...

Platforms for the exploitation of Earth Observation (EO) data have been developed by public and private companies in order to foster the usage of EO data and expand the market of Earth Observation-derived information. A fundamental principle of the platform operations concept is to move the EO data processing service’s user to the data and tools, a...

This study examines the importance of ground validation to Landsat 5 Thematic Mapper (TM) and Landsat 7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) observations at 2 gas flaring sites in Rivers State, Niger Delta, Nigeria. 12 Landsat imagery (3 Landsat 5 TM and 9 Landsat 7 ETM+) data acquired from 25/03/1987 to 08/03/2013 with < 5 % cloud contamination we...

Marine phytoplankton accounts for approximately 50% of all photosynthesis on Earth, underpins the marine food chain and plays a central role in the Earth’s biogeochemical cycles and climate. In situ measurements of ocean transparency can be used to estimate phytoplankton biomass. The scale and challenging conditions of the ocean make it a difficult...

Intensifying pressure on global aquatic resources and services due to population growth and climate change is inspiring new surveying technologies to provide science-based information in support of management and policy strategies. One area of rapid development is hyperspectral remote sensing: imaging across the full spectrum of visible and infrare...

As a result of tightened waste regulation across Europe, reports of waste crime have been on the rise. Significant stockpiles of tyres and plastic materials have been identified as a threat to both human and environmental health, leading to water and livestock contamination, providing substantial fuel for fires, and cultivating a variety of disease...

This research investigates the recording of Land Surface Temperature (LST) by Earth Observation (EO) Satellites for four gas flaring sites in Rivers State, Nigeria. Six Landsat 5 Thematic Mapper (TM) and Eleven Landsat 7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) from 17 January 1986 to 08 March 2013 with < 5% cloud contamination were considered. All the...

This research examines the uncertainties present when computing atmospheric correction parameters (upwelling (Lu) and downwelling (Ld) radiances, and transmittance (í µí¼)) for the 9 flaring sites in Rivers State, Nigeria; and to estimate the total uncertainty introduced into the land surface temperature (LST) when they are applied. 7 Landsat 5 Th...

This research examines the uncertainties present when computing atmospheric correction parameters (upwelling (Lu) and downwelling (Ld) radiances, and transmittance ()) for the 9 flaring sites in Rivers State, Nigeria; and to estimate the total uncertainty introduced into the land surface temperature (LST) when they are applied. 7 Landsat 5 Thematic...

Ocean colour is recognised as an Essential Climate Variable (ECV) by the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS); and spectrally-resolved water-leaving radiances (or remote-sensing reflectances) in the visible domain, and chlorophyll-a concentration are identified as required ECV products. Time series of the products at the global scale and at high...

Spectrally resolved water-leaving radiances (ocean colour) and inferred chlorophyll concentration are key to studying phytoplankton dynamics at seasonal and inter-annual scales, for a better understanding of the role of phytoplankton in marine biogeochemistry; the global carbon cycle; and the response of marine ecosystems to climate variability, ch...

Vegetation, through its condition, reflects the properties of the environment. Heterogeneous alpine ecosystems play a critical role in global monitoring systems, but due to low accessibility, cloudy conditions, and short vegetation periods, standard monitoring methods cannot be applied comprehensively. Hyperspectral tools offer a variety of methods...

This study examines the changes in land cover (LC) types at 6 gas flaring sites in Rivers with < 30 % cloud contamination were used. All the sites are located within a single Landsat scene (Path 188, Row 057). Radiometric calibration of the multispectral bands of the data, and atmospheric correction for multispectral bands using dark object subtrac...

The historical data from the MEdium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) is an invaluable archive for studying global waters from inland lakes to open oceans. Although the MERIS sensor ceased to operate in April 2012, the data capacities are now re-established through the recently launched Sentinel-3 Ocean and Land Colour Instrument (OLCI). The...

An approach that combines field observations and satellite inferences of Secchi depth could transform how we assess water clarity across the globe and pinpoint key changes over the past century.

Uganda is at high risk from a variety of hazards, which have the potential to adversely affect progress on poverty reduction and economic growth. The World Bank has estimated that at least 200,000 Ugandans are affected by disasters each year. The Government of Uganda has identified drought as the most severe disaster affecting the lives and livelih...

Latest version of Level 1 processing algorithms . The new MSS Quality Control Algorithms are not explained because developed in Jan' 2018

This research focuses on the effect of trampling on vegetation in high-mountain ecosystems through the electromagnetic spectrum’s interaction with plant pigments, cell structure, water content and other substances that have a direct impact on leaf properties. The aim of the study was to confirm with the use of fluorescence methods of variability in...

Remote sensing is a suitable candidate for monitoring rapid changes in Polar regions, offering high-resolution spectral, spatial and radiometric data. This paper focuses on the spectral properties of dominant plant species acquired during the first week of August 2015. Twenty-eight plots were selected, which could easily be identified in the field...

The oceans’ phytoplankton that underpin the marine food chain appear to be changing in abundance due to global climate change. Here, we compare the first four years of data from a citizen science ocean transparency study, conducted by seafarers using home-made Secchi Disks and a free Smartphone application called Secchi, with contemporaneous satell...

Seafarer Secchi depth data (m), location (latitude and longitude), date collected (day of year and year) and data ID. (CSV)

A novel approach, termed Summed Positive Peaks (SPP), is proposed for determining phytoplankton abundances (Chlorophyll-a or Chl-a) and surface phytoplankton bloom extent in the optically complex Baltic Sea. The SPP approach is established on the basis of a baseline subtraction method using Rayleigh corrected top-of-atmosphere data from the Medium...

Whilst recent years have witnessed the development and exploitation of operational Earth Observation (EO) satellite constellation data, the valorisation of historical archives has been a challenge. The European Space Agency (ESA) Landsat Multi Spectral Scanner (MSS) products cover Greenland, Iceland, Continental Europe and North Africa represent an...

A practical guide to the latest remote and in situ techniques used to measure sediments, quantify seabed characteristics, and understand physical properties of water and sediments and transport mechanisms in estuaries and coastal waters. Covering a broad range of topics from global reference frames and bathymetric surveying methods to the use of re...

Temporal and spatial variability of Sea Surface Temperature (SST), a key variable linked to climate change, was analysed using a continuous 34-year time series of Advanced Very-High-Resolution radiometer (AVHRR) data (1982–2015). The climatological analysis showed a significant latitudinal SST gradient; waters were warmer in the south and colder in...

Whilst recent years have witnessed the development and exploitation of operational Earth Observation (EO) satellite constellation data, the valorisation of historical archives has been a challenge. The ESA Multi Spectral Scanner (MSS) products cover Greenland, Iceland, Continental Europe and North Africa representing an archive of over 600,000 Leve...

Presentation associated with the proceeding

This research focuses on the effect of trampling on vegetation in high-mountain ecosystems through the electromagnetic spectrum’s interaction with plant pigments, cell structure, water content and other substances that have a direct impact on leaf properties. The most heavily visited part of the High Tatras in Poland was divided into polygons and,...

The characterization of vegetation is a very important ecological task, especially in sensitive mountain areas, as alpine regions often respond to small short-term variations of abiotic and biotic components as well as long-term global changes. Spatial techniques, such as imaging spectroscopy, allow for detailed classification of different syntaxon...

This chapter presents a model-driven evaluation support system (ESS) for open competitions within Earth Observation (EO) topics, which was part of a project financed by ESA (European Space Agency). One objective of the project was to deliver a collaborative platform that, through Data Challenges (i.e. open competitions), could improve the adoption...

In this chapter we address some of the recent developments in marine coastal remote sensing with regards to the evaluation of water quality from space using multi-temporal data. Most chapters in this book are devoted to terrestrial applications , whereas aquatic remote sensing requires a completely different approach in terms of mission and sensor...

Activities have focused on using the Landsat time-series and Sentinel-2 datasets to monitor land cover dynamics across the United Kingdom, with mapping of specific areas including missions such as Worldview and Kompsat. This short conference paper shows some of the preliminary results from the Landsat Operational Land Imager, Thematic Mapper and En...

Activities have focused on using the Landsat time-series and Sentinel-2 datasets to monitor land cover dynamics across the United Kingdom, with mapping of specific areas including missions such as Worldview and Kompsat. This short conference paper shows some of the preliminary results from the Landsat Operational Land Imager, Thematic Mapper and En...

The European Space Agency has acquired 10 years of data on the temporal and spatial distribution of phytoplankton biomass from the MEdium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) sensor for ocean color. The phytoplankton biomass was estimated with the MERIS product Algal Pigment Index 1 (API 1). Seasonal-Trend decomposition of time series based on L...

The proposed Quantified Earth Science Objective (QESO) is to inventory and assess coastal and inland aquatic habitats, which are extremely valuable and productive regions that are vulnerable to global anthropogenic pressures and climatic change. Basic information about sessile communities (wetlands, coral reefs, and sea grasses) includes mapping th...

The proposed Quantified Earth Science Objective (QESO) is to inventory and assess coastal and inland aquatic habitats, which are extremely valuable and productive regions that are vulnerable to global anthropogenic pressures and climatic change. Basic information about sessile communities (wetlands, coral reefs, and sea grasses) includes mapping th...

The proposed Quantified Earth Science Objective (QESO) is to inventory and assess coastal and inland aquatic habitats, which are extremely valuable and productive regions that are vulnerable to global anthropogenic pressures and climatic change. Basic information about sessile communities (wetlands, coral reefs, and sea grasses) includes mapping th...

The proposed Quantified Earth Science Objective (QESO) is to inventory and assess coastal and inland aquatic habitats, which are extremely valuable and productive regions that are vulnerable to global anthropogenic pressures and climatic change. Basic information about sessile communities (wetlands, coral reefs, and sea grasses) includes mapping th...

The E-Collaboration for Earth Observation (E-CEO) project aimed to deliver a collaborative platform that, through data challenges, would improve the adoption and outreach of new applications and methods to process Earth Observation (EO) data. To test the E-CEO platform, a contest based on the Atmospheric Correction (AC) of ocean color data was prop...

The aim was to understand a future market for NovaSAR-S, with a particular focus on flood mapping, through developing a simple Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) simulator that can be used in advance of NovaSAR-S data becoming available. The return signal was determined from a combination of a terrain or elevation model, Envisat S-Band Radar Altimeter...