Topographic Normalization of Landsat Thematic Mapper Data in Three Mountain Environments

A comparative analysis is presented for empirical topographic normalization of Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) data in varied forest and topographic settings. The paired study included rugged areas of Glacier National Park, Montana, Linville Gorge Wilderness, North Carolina, and Green Mountains, Vermont, U.S.A. Empirical models of topographic bias achieved significant corrections in the Montana and Vermont sites. Relative homogeneity of forest structure offset rugged topography in Montana to yield the highest success of normalization. Significant models could not be derived for Linville Gorge. Topographic normalization is most successful when canopy complexity and altitudinal zonation are low to moderate. Atmospheric pollution and geologic control in ridge-valley alignment are important considerations when undertaking topographic normalization in mountain environments.