Physical Principles of Remote

Sensing:
Electromagnetic Radiation

Outline
Properties of electromagnetic radiation
The electromagnetic spectrum
The Planck, Stefan-Boltzmann, and
Wiens equations
Spectral emissivity
Radiant temperature vs. kinetic
temperature
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Energy Transfer
Energy is the ability to do work

Electromagnetic Radiation
EMR is the source for most types of remote
sensing

Passive

Active

Electrical (E) and magnetic field (B) are orthogonal to

each other

Direction of each field is perpendicular to the direction

of wave propagation.
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Electromagnetic Waves
Described by:
Wavelength
Frequency
Amplitude

Frequency vs. Wavelength

l = distance of separation between two
successive wave peaks
= number of wave peaks passing in a given
time
The product of wavelength and frequency is a
constant:
c= l
c = speed of light in a vacuum = 3.0 108 ms-1
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Electromagnetic Radiation
Its harmonic wave form can be described
according to the Maxwell equations:

E E 0 cos(t kx)

Where, E is the electric field

Eo is a constant vector

= angular frequency (2p),

= c/l,
l = wavelength
c = speed of light in a vacuum (300,000,000 ms-1)
k = wavenumber (2p/l)
x = distance along the x-axis
t = time
The value of E at any point depends
only on x and t

Energy vs. Frequency

When considering the particle form of energy,
we call it a photon
The energy of a photon, Q, is proportional to its
frequency, :
Q=h
= c/l
Q = hc/l
h = Plancks constant = 6.63 10-34 Js
c = speed of light = 3.0 108 ms-1

Thus,
Q ~ 1/l
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The EM Spectrum

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Blackbody Radiation
All objects whose temperature are
above absolute zero Kelvin (-273.15oC)
emit radiation at all wavelengths
A blackbody is one that is a perfect
absorber and perfect emitter
(hypothetical, though Earth and Sun are
close)

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Plancks equation:

2hc 2
hc
Ll 5 x
, x
klT
l e 1
Stefan-Boltzmann equation:

E p

L l dl T 4

Wiens displacement equation:

2898

lmax(m)
T
c speed of light
h Planck constant
k Boltzmann constant
Stefan-Boltzmann
constant

3.0 108 ms-1

6.63 10-34 Js
1.38 10-23 JK-1
12-2K-4
5.67 10-8 Wm

What do they mean??

Planck equation gives the radiance of
an object at a given temperature at any
wavelength
Stefan-Boltzmann equation describes
the total amount of energy being
radiated
Wiens equation describes the
wavelength of maximum radiation
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Planck Equation, continued

Plancks equation describes how heat
energy is transformed into radiant energy
According to Plancks law, an object will
emit radiation in all wavelengths but not
equally
This is the basic law for radiation
measurements in all parts of the EM
spectrum
-

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Examples using Wiens

Displacement Equation
Tsun= 5800K
Peak of Suns radiation =
2898mK / 5800K = 0.5 m

2898
lmax(m)
T

Tearth = 288K
Peak of Earths radiation =
2898mK / 288K = 10 m
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Graybody Radiation

M eT

an object that is not a perfect

absorber/emitter
it reflects part of incident radiation

emissivity, e, is the ratio of graybody

exitance to blackbody exitance

M graybody
e
M blackbody
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Emissivity
Describes the actual energy absorption
and emission properties of real objects
(graybodies)
Is wavelength dependent (so, its
actually a colored body)
Emissivity establishes the radiant
temperature Trad of an object
-

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Blackbody Radiation
Stefan-Boltzmann equation:
Radiant exitance (M) is proportional to
physical temperature
4

M T

This assumes a blackbody which is a

perfect emitter and a perfect absorber

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Radiant Temperature vs. Kinetic

Temperature
Two objects can have the same kinetic temperature
but different radiant temperatures
Object

Emissivity

Kinetic
Temperature

Radiant
Temperature

Blackbody

1.0

300

300

Water, distilled

0.99

300

299.2

Basalt, rough

0.95

300

296.2

Basalt, smooth

0.92

300

293.8

Obsidian

0.86

300

288.9

Mirror

0.02

300

112.8

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Terminology (yuck!)
Radiant flux f, units W
Irradiance (flux density), E units Wm-2
(called Exitance, M when it is away from
the surface)
Radiance, L, units Wm-2 sr-1
Note, all can be functions of wavelength
with additional units m-1
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Suns Radiant Energy Distribution

Name of Spectral
Region

Wavelength
Range, m

Percent of Total
Energy

Gamma and X-rays

< 0.01

Negligible

Far Ultraviolet

0.01 - 0.2

0.02

Middle Ultraviolet

0.2 - 0.3

1.95

Near Ultraviolet

0.3 - 0.4

5.32

Visible

0.4 - 0.7

43.5

Near Infrared

0.7 - 1.5

36.8

Middle Infrared

1.5 - 5.6

12.0

Thermal Infrared

5.6 - 1000

0.41

Microwave

> 1000

Negligible

Radio Waves

> 1000

Negligible
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More about radiation

Energy emitted from the Sun is
enormous: 6.4 107 Wm-2
It is reduced to 1370 Wm-2 at the top of
the Earths atmosphere because of the
Earth-Sun distance (1/r2)
An object at 288K emits only 390 Wm-2

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leaving the surface

of the sun
SolarRadiation
Emittance
Curve
Solar radiation at sea level

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 For terrestrial remote sensing, the most

important source is the sun
Reflected solar energy is used
0.3 - 2.5 m

The Earth is also an energy source

>6 m for self-emitted energy

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