ALN No. 51: Chavez: Table 1: Comparison of satellite imaging capabilities

Chavez et al. Table 1: Comparison of satellite imaging capabilities

Spatial, spectral and temporal resolutions for various imaging systems considered in this investigation, with a qualitative rating (poor, fair, good, excellent) of their applicability to detect and monitor active dust storms.

Satellite	Spatial resolution	Spectral resolution	Temporal resolution
GOES*	1 km / poor	1 visible band / poor	15 minutes / excellent
Landsat TM	30 m / excellent	6 bands / good	2 weeks / poor
WiFS	200 m / fair	2 bands / fair	5 days / poor
SeaWiFS	1 km / poor	8 bands / good	1 day / fair
AVHRR	1 km / poor	2 bands / fair	1 day / fair
MODIS	1 km/500 m/250 m / poor-fair	36 bands / excellent	1 day / fair

*Note, at this stage only the visible band of GOES has been used because of the size of most dust storms in the Mojave Desert makes them difficult to detect with the 1-km resolution of the visible band. Therefore, it is unlikely that they would be detected by the 4-km resolution of the thermal bands.

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