Damage Analysis of Three Long-Track Tornadoes Using High-Resolution Satellite Imagery
Remote sensing of tornado damage can provide valuable observations for post-event surveys and reconstructions. The tornadoes of 3 March 2019 in the southeastern United States are an ideal opportunity to relate high-resolution satellite imagery of damage with estimated wind speeds from post-event sur...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2020-06-01
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| Series: | Atmosphere |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/11/6/613 |
| _version_ | 1827715248394600448 |
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| author | Daniel Burow Hannah V. Herrero Kelsey N. Ellis |
| author_facet | Daniel Burow Hannah V. Herrero Kelsey N. Ellis |
| author_sort | Daniel Burow |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Remote sensing of tornado damage can provide valuable observations for post-event surveys and reconstructions. The tornadoes of 3 March 2019 in the southeastern United States are an ideal opportunity to relate high-resolution satellite imagery of damage with estimated wind speeds from post-event surveys, as well as with the Rankine vortex tornado wind field model. Of the spectral metrics tested, the strongest correlations with survey-estimated wind speeds are found using a Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI, used as a proxy for vegetation health) difference image and a principal components analysis emphasizing differences in red and blue band reflectance. NDVI-differenced values across the width of the EF-4 Beauregard-Smiths Station, Alabama, tornado path resemble the pattern of maximum ground-relative wind speeds across the width of the Rankine vortex model. Maximum damage sampled using these techniques occurred within 130 m of the tornado vortex center. The findings presented herein establish the utility of widely accessible Sentinel imagery, which is shown to have sufficient spatial resolution to make inferences about the intensity and dynamics of violent tornadoes occurring in vegetated areas. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T19:15:43Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-1daf9dfcc2fc4b06beed3fa25e696bd6 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4433 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T19:15:43Z |
| publishDate | 2020-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Atmosphere |
| spelling | doaj.art-1daf9dfcc2fc4b06beed3fa25e696bd62023-11-20T03:24:52ZengMDPI AGAtmosphere2073-44332020-06-0111661310.3390/atmos11060613Damage Analysis of Three Long-Track Tornadoes Using High-Resolution Satellite ImageryDaniel Burow0Hannah V. Herrero1Kelsey N. Ellis2Department of Geography, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, 1000 Phil Fulmer Way, Knoxville, TN 37920, USADepartment of Geography, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, 1000 Phil Fulmer Way, Knoxville, TN 37920, USADepartment of Geography, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, 1000 Phil Fulmer Way, Knoxville, TN 37920, USARemote sensing of tornado damage can provide valuable observations for post-event surveys and reconstructions. The tornadoes of 3 March 2019 in the southeastern United States are an ideal opportunity to relate high-resolution satellite imagery of damage with estimated wind speeds from post-event surveys, as well as with the Rankine vortex tornado wind field model. Of the spectral metrics tested, the strongest correlations with survey-estimated wind speeds are found using a Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI, used as a proxy for vegetation health) difference image and a principal components analysis emphasizing differences in red and blue band reflectance. NDVI-differenced values across the width of the EF-4 Beauregard-Smiths Station, Alabama, tornado path resemble the pattern of maximum ground-relative wind speeds across the width of the Rankine vortex model. Maximum damage sampled using these techniques occurred within 130 m of the tornado vortex center. The findings presented herein establish the utility of widely accessible Sentinel imagery, which is shown to have sufficient spatial resolution to make inferences about the intensity and dynamics of violent tornadoes occurring in vegetated areas.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/11/6/613tornadoestornado damageremote sensingSentinel-2NDVIPCA |
| spellingShingle | Daniel Burow Hannah V. Herrero Kelsey N. Ellis Damage Analysis of Three Long-Track Tornadoes Using High-Resolution Satellite Imagery Atmosphere tornadoes tornado damage remote sensing Sentinel-2 NDVI PCA |
| title | Damage Analysis of Three Long-Track Tornadoes Using High-Resolution Satellite Imagery |
| title_full | Damage Analysis of Three Long-Track Tornadoes Using High-Resolution Satellite Imagery |
| title_fullStr | Damage Analysis of Three Long-Track Tornadoes Using High-Resolution Satellite Imagery |
| title_full_unstemmed | Damage Analysis of Three Long-Track Tornadoes Using High-Resolution Satellite Imagery |
| title_short | Damage Analysis of Three Long-Track Tornadoes Using High-Resolution Satellite Imagery |
| title_sort | damage analysis of three long track tornadoes using high resolution satellite imagery |
| topic | tornadoes tornado damage remote sensing Sentinel-2 NDVI PCA |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/11/6/613 |
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