An ERTS View of Alaska, A Regional Analysis of Earth and Water Resources Based on Satellite Imagery.

• Main Authors: Anderson, Duwayne M., Crowder, William K., Gatto, Lawrence W., Haugen, Richard K., Marlar, Thomas L.
• Other Authors: COLD REGIONS RESEARCH AND ENGINEERING LAB HANOVER NH
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 1973
• Subjects: Infrared Detection and Detectors; Environmental Health and Safety; *ALASKA; MULTIBAND SPECTRAL RECONNAISSANCE; AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHS; SCIENTIFIC SATELLITES; PERMAFROST; TERRAIN; SEA ICE; PHOTOINTERPRETATION; Ice; permafrost; Sea ice; Alaska
• Online Access: http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/AD0765442; http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=AD0765442

A preliminary study has been made of the value of satellite imagery in synoptic surveys of the distribution and environmental interrelationships of permafrost terrain and of coastal sedimentation and related processes in Cook Inlet, Alaska. Earth Resources Technology Satellite multispectral scanner (MSS) imagery was the primary data source for this investigation. Aerial underflight imagery and ground observations of selected sites were secondary data sources. Emphasis has been placed on evaluating the feasibility of mapping permafrost terrain from textural and tonal patterns related to surficial geology and vegetation. A mosaic of a 153,400-sq. km. area in north-central Alaska has been prepared at a scale of 1:1 million. Seven surficial geology, eight vegetative cover and four permafrost terrain units were defined and delineated. Many geomorphic features were also recognized: thaw lakes, stream drainage patterns, glacial moraines, cirques, abandoned glacial valleys and volcanic cones. Preliminary analysis of the regional hydrologic and oceanographic processes in Cook Inlet has been accomplished. It is evident that the distribution of sediments and regional circulation patterns can be monitored using satellite imagery. (Author)