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Radiation (Natural) Within the Earth’s Environment

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Encyclopedia of Remote Sensing

Part of the book series: Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series ((EESS))

Synonyms

Brightness; Earth radiance; Planck spectrum; Thermal emission

Definition

Natural electromagnetic radiation within the Earth’s environment is a product of natural physical processes and can be used as a remotely sensed indicator of the conditions governing those processes and/or the media through which the radiant signal passes.

Natural radiation within the Earth’s environment

The natural sources of electromagnetic radiation within the Earth’s environment that are used for remote sensing can be conveniently classified by frequency. At frequencies below ∼1 GHz, dominant sources are nonthermal and include lightning (sferics) and ionospheric synchrotron radiation. At frequencies between ∼1 GHz (∼30 cm wavelength, the lower end of the microwave spectrum) and 40 THz (∼8 μm wavelength, the higher end of the thermal infrared (TIR) spectrum), natural sources are overwhelmingly the result of thermal processes. Beginning with near-infrared frequencies (or reflectance infrared...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Engineering, University of Michigan, 1221 Beal Avenue, 48109, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    Anthony England

Authors
  1. Anthony England
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Anthony England .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA

    Eni G. Njoku

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England, A. (2014). Radiation (Natural) Within the Earth’s Environment. In: Njoku, E.G. (eds) Encyclopedia of Remote Sensing. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-36699-9_140

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