APPLICATION OF MOMS-02 DATA FOR ANALYSIS OF SAND DUNE FORMS AND THEIR DEVELOPMENT 
Adam Linsenbarth 
Institute of Geodesy and Cartography 
00-950 Warsaw, Jasna2/4, Poland 
tel/fax (48-22) 27 03 28 
Commission VII, Working Group 6 
KEY WORDS: Environment, Geography, Mapping, Satellite, Digital. 
ABSTRACT 
The main objective of the reported investigations was to evaluate the MOMS-02 data for the geomorphological studies of the 
sand desert areas and to indicate the advantages of these data in comparison with other remotely sensed data. In introduction 
Author gives general information regarding sand desert areas with particular attention paid to the Libyan Sahara. Libyan Sahara 
represents a large variety of dune forms and patterns, which appear in the huge Libyan sand seas. 
The performed analysis was based on the MOMS-02 images registered from orbits 75 and 91 over the northern Libyan sand seas: 
i.e. the middle part of the Great Sand Sea and over the northern part of Ramlat Zaltan called Ramlat Zaqqut. 
The results on performed analysis indicated large advantages of the high resolution MOMS-02 data registered in channel 5. These 
data allowed to detect and to analyse the small dune forms such as crescent dunes, crescentic chains, barchans and star dunes as 
well as the giant ripples called zibars. The performed analysis enabled to define the relationship between the particular dune 
forms and other climatic, topographic and geologic factors controlling their development. 
1. INTRODUCTION nm, channel 2: 532-576 nm, channel 3: 645-677 nm and 
channel 4: 772-815 nm. The ground resolution of the 
The continental deserts, which cover one-fifth of land area of =~ multispectral data acquired from the altitude of 300 km is ca 
the Earth, belong to the most unknown part of our globe. 13.5 m and the ground swath of imagery is ca 78 km. 
Sahara is one of the largest climatic desert of the world which The stereo-system works along the orbit track. In the stereo- 
fills almost the east-west oriented northern part of Africa. The mode, one image (channel 5) is recorded at nadir orientation, 
Libyan Sahara which constitute the eastern part of Sahara, with the ground resolution of 4.5 m, while two others 
belongs to the super arid desert and occupies more than 90 (channels 6 and 7) are taken at an angle of + 21.4° with a 
percent of Libyan territory. The Libyan sand seas, which resolution of 13.5 m. The swath width of high resolution 
cover more than 300 000 sq km., belong to the most unknown imagery is 37 km. The stereo-channels cover the panchromatic 
part of Sahara and represent a large variety of conspicuous region between 512 and 765 nm. 
dune forms and patterns. During the MOMS-02 mission images were acquired only 
The remote sensing technologies provide a very useful tool for ^ over the northern part of Libya. The images were recorded 
the complex investigations of sand desert areas. The medium from orbits 13, 60, 75 and 91. There are four images, recorded 
resolution satellite data are very helpful in the macro-scale from orbit 13, in multispectral mode 2, which cover the 
studies of sand seas, while for the meso- and micro-scale middle part of the Great Sand Sea but unfortunately these 
studies the high resolution remote sensing data are required. images are partialy cloud covered. Twelve scenes from orbit 
In geomorphological studies, the highest importance is given 75 were recored in stereo mode 1, from which scenes 14 and 
fo small dune forms such as bachans, linear dunes, crescentic 15 were registered over the Great Sand Sea. The images taken 
chains and zibars, which express the contemporary trends in from orbit 60 and 75 were acquired in mode 1/30°. The 
dune formation and development. In this context, the MOMS- images from these orbits have been taken over the northern 
02 data constitute the most useful material. part of Ramlat Zaltan and the middle part of the Great Sand 
Sea. 
For the evaluation of MOMS-02 data for sand desert 
2. MOMS-02 DATA OVER LIBYAN SAHARA investigations the images recorded from orbits 75 and 91 were 
selected. Scene 14, acquired from orbit 75 in mode 1, covers 
MOMS-02 constitutes the second generation of MOMS the central part of the Great Sand Sea, wheras scenes 22 and 
System, which was successfully flown on the board of the —— 23 recorded from orbit 91 in mode 1/30? were acquired over 
second German Spacelab Mission D2 from 26 April 1993 to 6 — the northern part of Ramlat Zaltan. All the scenes were 
May 1993. MOMS-02 combines a high resolution tree- ^ registered from the Space shuttle orbit altitude of 303 km. For 
channel stereo-module with a four-channel multispectral unit. scene 14, the sun elevation was 32? and sun azimuth 89°, and 
MOMS-02 provides along-track stero capability, to be for scenes 22 and 23, 28° and 88° respectively. 
operated in panchromatic mode, alone or in various : 
combinations with spectral channels. The system was 
designed both for the thematic mapping on the basis of 3. GOAL AND SCOPE OF INVESTIGATIONS 
ise) data (channels 1, 2, 3 and 4) and for ; 
HS mer ping on the basis of the stereo images The main goal of the performed investigations was to evaluate 
M ystem (channels 5, 6 and 7). the MOMS-02 data recorded in different modes in relation to 
OMS. ; ; 
NUS Ga multispectral system consists of four sensors the specific requirements of sand desert morphology. The 
Ing In the following spectral bands: channel 1: 449-511 investigations were focused on: 
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International Archives of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing. Vol. XXXI, Part B7. Vienna 1996