Shea Rose | University of West Georgia (original) (raw)

Papers by Shea Rose

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Feb 28, 2001

Urban fabric data are needed in order to estimate the impact of light-colored surfaces (roofs and... more Urban fabric data are needed in order to estimate the impact of light-colored surfaces (roofs and pavements) and urban vegetation (trees, grass, shrubs) on the meteorology and air quality of a city, and to design effective implementation programs. In this report, we discuss the result of a semi-automatic Monte-Carlo statistical approach used to develop data on surface-type distribution and city-fabric makeup (percentage of various surface-types) using aerial color orthophotography. The digital aerial photographs for Salt Lake City covered a total of about 34 km 2 (13 mi 2). At 0.50-m resolution, there were approximately 1.4 x 10 8 pixels of data. Four major land-use types were examined: 1) commercial, 2) industrial, 3) educational, and 4) residential. On average, for the areas studied, vegetation covers about 46% of the area (ranging 44-51%), roofs cover about 21% (ranging 15-24%), and paved surfaces about 26% (ranging 21-28%). For the most part, trees shade streets, parking lots, grass, and sidewalks. In most non-residential areas, paved surfaces cover 46-66% of the area. In residential areas, on average, paved surfaces cover about 32% of the area. Land-use/land-cover (LU/LC) data from the United States Geological Survey were used to extrapolate these results from neighborhood scales to metropolitan Salt Lake City. In an area of roughly 560 km 2 , defining most of metropolitan Salt Lake City, over 60% is residential. The total roof area is about 110 km 2 , and the total paved surface area (roads, parking areas, sidewalks) covers about 170 km 2. The total vegetated area covers about 230 km 2 .

To estimate the impact of light-colored surfaces (roofs and pavements) and urban vegetation (tree... more To estimate the impact of light-colored surfaces (roofs and pavements) and urban vegetation (trees, grass, shrubs) on meteorology and air quality of a city, it is essential to accurately characterize various urban surfaces. Of particular importance is the characterization of the area fraction of various surface-types, as well as the vegetative fraction. In this report, a method is discussed for developing data on surface-type distribution and city-fabric makeup (percentage of various surface-types) using aerial color photography. We devised a semi-automatic Monte-Carlo method to sample the data and visually identify the surface-type for each pixel. The color aerial photographs for Sacramento covered a total of about 65 square km (25 square mile). At 0.30-m resolution, there were approximately 7x10 8 pixels of data. Five major land-use types were examined: 1) downtown and city center, 2) industrial, 3) offices, 4) commercial, and 5) residential. In downtown Sacramento, the top view (above the canopy) shows that vegetation covers 30% of the area, whereas roofs cover 23% and paved surface (roads, parking areas, and sidewalks) 41 %. Under-the-canopy fabric consists of 52% paved surfaces, 26% roofs, and 12% grass. In the industrial areas, vegetation covers 8-14% of the area, whereas roofs cover 19-23%, and paved surfaces cover 29-44%. The surface-type percentages in the office area were 21 % trees, 16% roofs, and 49% paved surfaces. In commercial areas, vegetation covers 5-20%, roofs 19-20%, paved surfaces 44-68% (about 25-54% are parking areas). Residential areas exhibit a wide range of percentages of surface-types. On average, vegetation covers about 36% of the area (ranging 32-49%), roofs cover about 20% (ranging 12-25%), and paved surfaces about 28% (ranging 21-34%). Trees mostly shade streets, parking lots, grass, and sidewalks. Under the canopy the percentage of paved surfaces is significantly higher. In most non-residential areas, paved surfaces cover 50-70% of the area. In residential areas, on average, paved surfaces cover about 35% of the area. Land-use/land-cover (LULC) data from the United States Geological Survey was used to extrapolate these results from neighborhood scales to metropolitan Sacramento. In an area of roughly 800km2, defining most of metropolitan Sacramento, about half is residential. The total roof area is about 150km 2 and the total paved surfaces (roads, parking areas, side walks) is about 31 Okm 2. The total vegetated area is about 230km 2 .

In this report, the materials and various surface types that comprise a city are referred to as t... more In this report, the materials and various surface types that comprise a city are referred to as the "urban fabric". Urban fabric data are needed in order to estimate the impact of light-colored surfaces (roofs and pavements) and urban vegetation (trees, grass, shrubs) on the meteorology and air quality of a city, and to design effective urban-environmental implementation programs. We discuss the results of a semi-automatic Monte-Carlo statistical approach used to develop data on surface-type distribution and city-fabric makeup (percentage of various surface-types) using aerial color orthophotography. The digital aerial photographs for Houston covered a total of about 52 km 2 (20 mi 2). At 0.30-m resolution, there were approximately 5.8 x 10 8 pixels of data. Four major land-use types were examined: (1) commercial, (2) industrial, (3) educational, and (4) residential. On average, for the regions studied, vegetation covers about 39% of the area, roofs cover about 21%, and paved surfaces cover about 29%. For the most part, trees shade streets, parking lots, grass, and sidewalks. At ground level, i.e., view from below the vegetation canopies, paved surfaces cover about 32% of the study area. GLOBEIS model data from University of Texas and land-use/land-cover (LULC) information from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) were used to extrapolate these results from neighborhood scales to Greater Houston. It was found that in an area of roughly 3,430 km 2 , defining most of Greater Houston, over 56% is residential. The total roof area is about 740 km 2 , and the total paved surface area (roads, parking areas, sidewalks) covers about 1000 km 2. Vegetation covers about 1,320 km 2. * This work was supported by the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency through the U. S. Department of Energy under contract DE-AC03-76SF00098. v * When sunlight hits a surface, some of the incident solar radiation is reflected (this fraction is called albedo = â) and the rest is either absorbed or transmitted. Low-â surfaces of course become much hotter than high-â surfaces.

This document was prepared as an account of work sponsored by the United States Government. While... more This document was prepared as an account of work sponsored by the United States Government. While this document is believed to contain correct information, neither the United States Government nor any agency thereof, nor the Regents of the University of California, nor any of their employees, makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any legal responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by its trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government or any agency thereof, or The Regents of the University of California. The views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government or a...

GIScience & Remote Sensing, 2013

Increasingly “urban greening” is being implemented in order to meet goals of sustainability. Tree... more Increasingly “urban greening” is being implemented in order to meet goals of sustainability. Tree planting is part of these efforts that provide climate and environmental benefits. Albedo is an important factor in climatological and ecological functioning. Using GIS, this study assesses albedo changes of suburban communities resulting from trees. Based on orthophotos and LiDAR, a shading algorithm is used to examine how tree shading changes albedo throughout the year. For comparison, changes in community albedo were calculated with low and high assumptions for tree albedo. Under the low tree albedo assumption (0.14), community albedo was decreased (–0.07) by the effect of tree shading at all times modeled during the year. Using a high albedo for trees (0.20), the albedo changes were slight (<–0.01). This indicates the importance of considering the albedo of both the trees planted and the surfaces that are shaded when developing urban greening policies.

$Research paper thumbnail of Calculating the Sun\u27s Photospheric Temperature, an Undergraduate Physics Laboratory$

We provide physics students and teachers with a simple technique for measuring the solar spectrum... more We provide physics students and teachers with a simple technique for measuring the solar spectrum and a method for analyzing that spectrum through popular computer software. We discuss modern physics concepts related to blackbody radiation while modeling the sun\u27s spectrum to determine the temperature of the sun\u27s photosphere. We provide a reliable method to determine the sun\u27s photospheric temperature with a typical error of less than 10%, primarily dependent on atmospheric conditions. The focus of this work is on data analysis, not acquisition

Georgia journal of science, 2019

Measurements conducted at the University of West Georgia, Carrollton, Georgia, during the time of... more Measurements conducted at the University of West Georgia, Carrollton, Georgia, during the time of the solar eclipse of 21 August 2017, demonstrated that the integrated spectral irradiance in defined wavelength ranges in the ultraviolet and visible calculated as a fraction of the total irradiance reached a minimum at maximum obscuration of the Sun, whereas in the infrared range it was maximum. The method of analysis adopted supports the view that the changes in spectral irradiance during highly obscured partial phases is a consequence of limb darkening. In a surface ozone measurement, the minimum ozone concentration occurred 30 ± 5 min after the instant of maximum obscuration. This observation is explained as a combined effect of a change in reaction rates of photochemical generation and degradation of ozone.

This study examines patterns of cloud-to-ground flash enhancement and precipitation for the great... more This study examines patterns of cloud-to-ground flash enhancement and precipitation for the greater Atlanta, Georgia region. Previous research documented greater annual average flash densities (6 to 8 km-2 /yr), and more flash days northeast of the city. Precipitation ...

We provide physics students and teachers with a simple technique for measuring the solar spectrum... more We provide physics students and teachers with a simple technique for measuring the solar spectrum and a method for analyzing that spectrum through popular computer software. We discuss modern physics concepts related to blackbody radiation while modeling the sun's spectrum to determine the temperature of the sun's photosphere. We provide a reliable method to determine the sun's photospheric temperature with a typical error of less than 10%, primarily dependent on atmospheric conditions. The focus of this work is on data analysis, not acquisition.

The LiDAR datasets of the Charlton and Ware Counties were produced using the American Recovery an... more The LiDAR datasets of the Charlton and Ware Counties were produced using the American Recovery and Reinforcement Act of 2009 grant (USGS #10HQPA0014). Collected with the Reigl LMS?Q680i full waveform system in one meter NPS, the dataset showed very high accuracies of 8.7㎝ in raw points and 10.5㎝ RMSEz in DEM. The project revealed various issues such as data collection condition, low evergreen vegetation, linear elevation artifacts, definition of ‘ground’ in wetland, and systematic artifacts. Our experiences may be used in planning other wetland LiDAR survey projects.

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Oct 30, 2001

Landscape and Urban Planning, 2003

Earth Interactions, 2008

This study explores how the Atlanta, Georgia (United States), urban region influences warm-season... more This study explores how the Atlanta, Georgia (United States), urban region influences warm-season (May through September) cloud-toground lightning flashes and precipitation. Eight years (1995)(1996)(1997)(1998)(1999)(2000)(2001)(2002)(2003) of flashes from the National Lightning Detection Network and mean accumulated precipitation from the North American Regional Reanalysis model were mapped under seven different wind speed and direction combinations derived from cluster analysis. Overlays of these data affirmed a consistent coupling of lightning and precipitation enhancement around Atlanta. Maxima in precipitation and lightning shifted in response to changes in wind direction. Differences in the patterns of flash metrics (flash counts versus thunderstorm counts), the absence of any strong urban signal in the flashes of individual thunderstorms,

Climate Research, 2006

We analyzed the patterns of cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning flashes around Atlanta, Georgia (USA),... more We analyzed the patterns of cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning flashes around Atlanta, Georgia (USA), a region that has undergone an intense conversion from natural to anthropogenic land uses. For the 12 yr period from 1992 to 2003, annual average CG flash densities of 6 to 8 flashes km -2 emerged around Atlanta. These values are 50 to 75% higher than in the surrounding rural areas, and comparable to flash densities along the Atlantic coast of Georgia. High flash densities extended over a large swath of Atlanta, and into Gwinnett County, a heavily suburbanized, rapidly growing county to the northeast. Urban flash production peaked during the summer (May through June) and exhibited more night and early morning activity (18:00 to 06:00 h) than in surrounding rural areas. Atlanta's higher flash densities do not result from isolated flash production over the city; rather they develop when the large scale atmospheric setting favors widespread lightning throughout the region. Maps of flash counts by interval classes also revealed where flash density maxima emerge in different county regions around the city. A large area of reduced positive polarity flashes developed along the arc of Atlanta's loop highway, Interstate 285. This area also trended south along the corridor of Interstate Highway 75 into central Georgia. This pattern suggests that automobiles may be a source of particulate matter, which is hypothesized to reduce the percentage of positive flashes.

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Feb 28, 2001

GIScience & Remote Sensing, 2013

$Research paper thumbnail of Calculating the Sun\u27s Photospheric Temperature, an Undergraduate Physics Laboratory$

Georgia journal of science, 2019

We provide physics students and teachers with a simple technique for measuring the solar spectrum... more We provide physics students and teachers with a simple technique for measuring the solar spectrum and a method for analyzing that spectrum through popular computer software. We discuss modern physics concepts related to blackbody radiation while modeling the sun's spectrum to determine the temperature of the sun's photosphere. We provide a reliable method to determine the sun's photospheric temperature with a typical error of less than 10%, primarily dependent on atmospheric conditions. The focus of this work is on data analysis, not acquisition.

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Oct 30, 2001

Landscape and Urban Planning, 2003

Earth Interactions, 2008

Climate Research, 2006