| Landsat MSS Images (1972 to present) |  |
General Comments
Compared to GOES, SeaWiFS, and WiFS data, the Landsat Multispectral Scanner (MSS) data have a very good spatial resolution (about 75 meters) and a good spectral resolution compared to GOES and WiFS (two visible bands/green and red, plus two near-infrared bands). However, it has a relatively poor temporal resolution with a revisit time of about two weeks. Also, images are collected during mid-morning (about 10:30 AM), which is not good for monitoring the peak frequency of desert dust storms that occur in the afternoon. The spatial and spectral resolutions make the Landsat MSS data good for generating eolian erosion vulnerability image maps. When an active dust storm is imaged, however, they can be quite dramatic as shown in the Landsat MSS image below.
Landsat MSS Characteristics
| | Spatial Resolution | 75 m |
| | Spectral Resolution | 2 visible
2 NIR
|
| | Temporal Resolution | 2 weeks |
Image group 1: Online June 22, 1998
![[View Landsat MSS Mojave Desert scene from January 1, 1973]](landsat/mss01jan73_s.gif)
Landsat MSS
January 1, 1973
700 x 780, 486 k | |
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Page History:
Online Since: 19 June 1998
Last Modified: 12 August 1998
