Azimuth modulation of backscatter from SeaWinds and ERS scatterometers over the Saharo-Arabian Deserts

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2002

Publication Title

2002 IEEE International Geoscience And Remote Sensing Symposium

Publisher

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

Volume

5

First page number:

2808

Last page number:

2810

Abstract

Saharo-Arabian Deserts includes large expanses of sand dunes called ergs. These dunes are formed and constantly reshaped by prevailing winds. We use backscatter (σº) measurements observed at various azimuth angles from SeaWinds scatterometer (QSCAT) and ERS scatterometer (ESCAT) to determine the σº azimuthal modulation over the sand dunes. A second order harmonic equation is used to model the σº measurements as a function of azimuth angle and provides similar results for both sensors. Images of the magnitudes of the model harmonics show many small-scale linear features corresponding to the large dune fields in the ergs. The images of the phases of the two harmonics are coherent with the large scale topography of the area. Most ergs exhibit isophase related to the general orientation of large- and small-scale features of the sand surface.

Keywords

Arabian desert; Ergs; Geomorphology; Remote sensing; Sahara desert; Sand dunes

Disciplines

Environmental Monitoring | Geographic Information Sciences | Geology

Language

English

Comments

©2002 IEEE. Personal use of this material is permitted. However, permission to reprint/republish this material for advertising or promotional purposes or for creating new collective works for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or to reuse any copyrighted component of this work in other works must be obtained from the IEEE.

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