EM 1110-2-2907
1 October 2003
Appendix B
Regions of the Electromagnetic Spectrum and Useful TM Band Combinations
Spectrum Region
Wavelength range
Use
0.300 - 0.446 m
UV
Florescent materials such as hydrocarbons and rocks. Monitor
ozone in stratosphere
0.446 - 0.500 m
Visible - blue
Soil/vegetation discrimination, ocean productivity,
Urban
cloud cover, precipitation, snow, and ice cover
features
0.500 - 0.578 m
Visible - green
Corresponds to the green reflectance of healthy
vegetation and sediment in water.
0.579 - 0.7 m
Visible - red
Helpful in distinguishing healthy vegetation, plant species, and
soil/geological boundary mapping
0.7 - 0.80 m
Near infrared (NIR)
Surface
Delineates healthy verses unhealthy or fallow
water,
vegetation, vegetation biomass, crop identification
snow,
(near infrared) soil, and rocks
and ice
0.80 - 1.10 m
Delineates vegetation, penetrating haze and
water/land boundary mapping
1.60 - 1.71 m
Mid-infrared
Soil and leaf moisture; can discriminate clouds, snow, and ice.
Used to remove the effects of thin clouds and smoke
(SWIR)
2.01 - 2.40 m
Geologic mapping and plant and soil moisture, particularly
useful for mapping hydrothermally altered rocks
3.0 - 100 m
Thermal IR
Monitoring temperature variations in land, water, ice, and forest
fires (and volcanic fire)
6.7 - 7.02 m
Upper-tropospheric water vapor
10.4 - 12.5 m
Vegetation classification, and plant stress analysis, soil
moisture and geothermal activity mapping, cloud top and sea
surface temperatures.
1 m to 1 m
Useful for mapping soil moisture, sea ice, currents, and surface
winds, snow wetness, profile measurements of atmospheric
ozone and water vapor, detection of oil slicks
Color Plane
Applications
Red
Green
Blue
3
2
1
True Color. Water depth, smoke plumes visible
4
3
2
Similar to IR photography. Vegetation is red, urban areas appear
blue. Land/water boundaries are defined but water depth is visible
as well.
4
5
3
Land/water boundaries appear distinct. Wetter soil appears darker.
7
4
2
Algae appear light blue. Conifers are darker than deciduous
6
2
1
Highlights water temperature.
7
3
1
Helps to discriminate mineral groups. Saline deposits appear white,
rivers are dark blue.
4
5
7
Mineral differentiation.
7
2
1
Useful for mapping oil spills. Oil appears red on a dark background.
7
5
4
Identifies flowing lava as red/yellow. Hot lava appears yellow.
Outgassing appears as faint pink.
B-1
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