Landsat Missions
Question:
What are the best spectral bands to use for my study?
Answer:
This is a common question considered by all users of remotely sensed data. The level of detail (spatial resolution) is often the most interesting aspect of viewing a satellite image, but less appreciated is how changes in irradiative energy reflected by different surface materials are used to identify features of interest.
The Spectral Characteristics Viewer is an interactive tool developed by scientists at the USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center to visualize how the bands, or channels, of different satellite sensors measure the intensity of the many wavelengths (colors) of light. This is also known as the relative spectral response (RSR). By overlaying the spectral curves from different features (spectra), one can determine which bands of the selected sensor will work for the application.
The bands on Landsat MSS 1-3 and MSS 4-5 and their uses are shown here:
| Landsat MSS 1,2,3 Spectral Bands | Landsat MSS 4,5 Spectral Bands | Wavelength | Useful for mapping |
|---|---|---|---|
| Band 4 green | Band 1 green | 0.5-0.6 | Sediment-laden water, delineates areas of shallow water |
| Band 5 red | Band 2 red | 0.6-0.7 | Cultural features |
| Band 6 - Near Infrared | Band 3 Near Infrared | 0.7-0.8 | Vegetation boundary between land and water, and landforms | Band 7- Near Infrared | Band 4- Near Infrared | 0.8-1.1 | Penetrates atmospheric haze best, emphasizes vegetation, boundary between land and water, and landforms |
Each band on Landsat 4-5 TM and Landsat 7 ETM+ is useful for capturing different land cover aspects, as shown below:
| Landsat 5 TM and Landsat 7 ETM+ Spectral Bands | Wavelength | Useful for mapping |
|---|---|---|
| Band 1 blue | 0.45-0.52 | Bathymetric mapping, distinguishing soil from vegetation and deciduous from coniferous vegetation |
| Band 2 - green | 0.52-0.60 | Emphasizes peak vegetation, which is useful for assessing plant vigor |
| Band 3 red | 0.63-0.69 | Discriminates vegetation slopes |
| Band 4 - Near Infrared | 0.77-0.90 | Emphasizes biomass content and shorelines |
| Band 5 Short-wave Infrared | 1.55-1.75 | Discriminates moisture content of soil and vegetation; penetrates thin clouds |
| Band 6 Thermal Infrared | 10.40-12.50 | Thermal mapping and estimated soil moisture |
| Band 7 Short-wave Infrared | 2.09-2.35 | Hydrothermally altered rocks associated with mineral deposits |
| Band 8 Panchromatic (Landsat 7 only) | .52-.90 15 | meter resolution, sharper image definition |
In addition to the bands listed above (excluding the thermal band), the LDCM Operational Land Imager (OLI) instrument will advance future measurement capabilities with an ultra-blue band (Band 1 - 0.433 to 0.453) for coastal and aerosol studies, as well as Band 9 (1.360 1.390), which will be useful for cirrus cloud detection.
U.S. Department of the Interior |
U.S. Geological Survey
URL: http://landsat.usgs.gov
Page Contact Information: Ask Landsat
Page Last Modified: 12/30/10 11:35 am
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