Use of ERS-1 wind scatterometer data over land surfaces

Author

Frison, P.-L. ; Mougin, E.

Author_Institution

Centre d´´Etudes Spatiales de la Biosphere, CNES, Toulouse, France

Volume

34

Issue

2

fYear

1996

fDate

3/1/1996 12:00:00 AM

Firstpage

550

Lastpage

560

Abstract

The capability of ERS-1 wind scatterometer (WSC) data for land surface studies at regional and global scales is investigated. Calibrated data, available since April 1992, consist of backscattering coefficient σ° values estimated over a 50 km ground resolution cell within a 18-59° incidence range. The WSC covers latitudes between 80°S and 85°N. Data quality is investigated. Results show a good radiometric stability throughout a two-year period (April 1992-March 1994), a good measurement accuracy and a very good intercalibration between antennas. A global backscattering coefficient image of the world is presented and statistics of σ° are extracted for the main land surfaces. A strong dependence between this image and global vegetation and elevation map is observed. Finally, WSC and Seasat-A Scatterometer System (SASS) data of typical regions are compared. Results indicate the high capability of ERS-1 WSC data for land surfaces monitoring at global and regional scales

Keywords

radar imaging; remote sensing by radar; spaceborne radar; AD 1992 04 to 1994 03; ERS-1 wind scatterometer data; backscattering coefficient; data quality; elevation map; global scale; global vegetation; land surfaces; radiometric stability; regional scale; Antenna measurements; Backscatter; Data mining; Land surface; Monitoring; Radar measurements; Radiometry; Stability; Statistics; Vegetation mapping;

fLanguage

English

Journal_Title

Geoscience and Remote Sensing, IEEE Transactions on

Publisher

ieee

ISSN

0196-2892

Type

jour

DOI

10.1109/36.485131

Filename

485131