Assessment of relationships between precipitation and satellite derived vegetation condition in South Australia

The normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI) has evolved as a primary tool for monitoring continental-scale vegetation changes and interpreting the impact of short to long-term climatic events on the biosphere. The objective of this research was to assess the nature of relationships between precipitation and vegetation condition, as measured by the satellite-derived NDVI within South Australia. The correlation, timing and magnitude of the NDVI response to precipitation were examined for different vegetation formations within the State (forest, scrubland, shrubland, woodland and grassland). Results from this study indicate that there are strong relationships between precipitation and NDVI both spatially and temporally within South Australia. Differences in the timing of the NDVI response to precipitation were evident among the five vegetation formations. The most significant relationship between rainfall and NDVI was within the forest formation. Negative correlations between NDVI and precipitation events indicated that vegetation green-up is a result of seasonal patterns in precipitation. Spatial patterns in the average NDVI over the study period closely resembled the boundaries of the five classified vegetation formations within South Australia. Spatial variability within the NDVI data set over the study period differed greatly between and within the vegetation formations examined depending on the location within the state. ACRONYMS AVHRR Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer ENVSAEnvironments of South Australia EOS Terra-Earth Observing System EVIEnhanced Vegetation Index MODIS Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectro-radiometer MVC Maximum Value Composite NDVINormalised Difference Vegetation Index NIRNear Infra-Red NOAANational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration SPOT Systeme Pour l’Observation de la Terre. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Super-fast scanning technique for phased array weather radar aplications

The authors present a super-fast scanning (SFS) technique for phased array weather radar applications. The fast scanning feature of the SFS technique is described and its drawbacks identified. Techniques which combat these drawbacks are also presented. A concept design phased array radar system (CDPAR) is used as a benchmark to compare the performance of a conventional scanning phased array radar system with the SFS technique. It is shown that the SFS technique, in association with suitable waveform processing, can realise four times the scanning speed and achieve similar accuracy compared to the conventional phased array benchmark.

A planar microwave imaging system with step-frequency synthesized pulse using different calibration methods

An experimental study of a planar microwave imaging system with step-frequency synthesized pulse for possible use in medical applications is described. Simple phantoms, consisting of a cylindrical plastic container with air or oil imitating fatty tissues and small highly reflective objects emulating tumors, are scanned with a probe antenna over a planar surface in the X-band. Different calibration schemes are considered for successful detection of these objects. (c) 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Compact ultra-wideband planar tapered slot antenna for use in a microwave imaging system

The design of an ultra-wideband planar tapered slot antenna for use in a circular cylindrical microwave imaging system is pre-sented. The antenna was designed assuming high dielectric substrate material Rogers RT6010LM to achieve its compact size. The developed antenna element (50 X 50 mm(2)) features a 10-dB return loss bandwidth from 2.75 GHz to more than 11 GHz. The gain of the antenna is between 3.5 and 9.4 dBi over the 3-10 GHz band. The experimental tests showed that the manufactured antenna element supports transmission of narrow pulses with negligible distortions, as required in the microwave imaging system. (c) 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.