Atmospheric correction is a necessary step in processing data recorded by spaceborne sensors for cloudless atmosphere, primarily in the visible and near-IR spectral range. In this paper we present a fast and sufficiently accurate method of atmospheric correction based on the analytical solutions of radiative transfer equation (RTE). The proposed analytical equations can be used to calculate the spectrum of outgoing radiation at the top boundary of the cloudless atmosphere. The solution of the inverse problem for finding unknown parameters of the model is carried out by the method of non-linear least squares (Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm) for an individual selected pixel of the image, taking into account the adjacency effects. Using the found parameters of the atmosphere and the average surface reflectance, and also assuming homogeneity of the atmosphere within a certain area of the hyperspectral image (or within the whole frame), the spectral reflectance at the Earth’s surface is calculated for all other pixels. It is essential that the procedure of the numerical simulation using non-linear least squares is based on the analytical solution of the direct transfer problem. This enables fast solution of the inverse problem in a very short calculation time. Testing of the method has been performed using the synthetic outgoing radiation spectra at the top of atmosphere, obtained from the LibRadTran code. In addition, we have used the spectra measured by the Hyperion. A comparison with the results of atmospheric correction in module FLAASH of ENVI package has been performed. Finally, to validate data obtained by our method, a comparative analysis with ground-based measurements of the Radiometric Calibration Network (RadCalNet) was carried out.

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<p>Forests play an important role in global carbon, hydrological and atmospheric cycles. Current environmental issues have a strong impact on forest health. Satellite remote sensing is widely used for forest state monitoring due to increasing availability of satellite data and high temporal resolution. However, a spatial resolution of satellite data is often insufficient to detect small areas of forest drying. For a clearer detection of affected forest areas, spectral unmixing is required.</p> <p>The results of spectral unmixing of Belarusian spacecraft data (4 bands: blue, green, red, NIR; spatial resolution 10 meters) are performed. To detect affected forest areas that need to be specified, the vegetation index NDVI is calculated. Then, spectral mixture analysis is running for these areas. The library of endmembers (pure spectral signatures) was created by ground measurements using spectral instruments that were developed in the department of aerospace researches of Belarusian state university. Comparison of spectral unmixing results and airborne measurements shows high agreement. Airborne measurements of study forest area was carried out using Leica airborne digital sensor. Spatial resolution of airborne data is around 40 centimeters. The developed spectral unmixing approach can be used for other tasks, such as burned area mapping, crop monitoring, etc.</p>

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<p>The relative concentrations of photosynthetic and photoprotective pigments provide important information about the physiological state of the plant and are determined, among other things, by the lighting regime and the presence of nutrients. Relative composition of the pigments is depending on the physiological response of the plant to external influences. In most cases, when an on-line in-situ analysis is required, only the main pigments are measured: Chla, Chlb and a rough estimate of the "total carotenoids" in higher plants, but such an estimate may not always be reliable. Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy (DOAS) is known for its applications for the trace gases measurements in the atmosphere sciences; however, no application has been found for the determination of color pigments for plant extracts. For the correct application of the DOAS method, it is necessary to determine the appropriate optical thickness of the sample under study, the fitting intervals for analysis, as well as a set of absorption cross sections for the target pigments.</p><p>Purpose of the work is to determine the appropriate settings for the retrieval of concentrations of colored pigments employing the DOAS method by investigating the sample of pine and spruce needles extraction. The relevance of the work consists in the development of a new method for analyzing transmission spectra, which does not require the creation of specialized software, since programs for analyzing spectra by the DOAS method are available.</p><p>For the spectra registration, Solar M150 spectrometer with Hamamatsu S7031-1006S detector has been used, the transmission spectra recorded in the 330 - 750 nm range, and pure acetone employed as a solvent. The paper presents the results of DOAS-analysis of extracts of various coniferous samples, from which it was possible to retrieve the contents of Cha, Chb, B,b-carotene, B,e-carotene, and small amounts of Phaeophytin-a, Neoxanthin. Optimal settings for the DOAS-analysis and experimental setup details for photosynthetic and photoprotective pigments retrieval are discussed.</p>