Title

Multi-spectral analysis of the Amazon Basin using SeaWinds, ERS, Seasat scatterometers, TRMM-PR and SSM/I

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2002

Publication Title

2002 IEEE International Geoscience And Remote Sensing Symposium

Publisher

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

Volume

3

First page number:

1780

Last page number:

1782

Abstract

The Amazon Basin represents a vast geographical zone containing large proportion of global biomass. We use the SeaWinds scatterometer (QSCAT), ERS-1/-2 scatterometer (ESCAT), NASA scatterometer (NSCAT) Seasat scatterometer (SASS), Tropical Rain Measuring Mission Precipitation Radar (TRMM-PR) and Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I) data to study the multi-spectral microwave response of Amazon vegetation. Incidence angle signatures of combined backscatter measurements (σº) from the scatterometers and precipitation radar indicate a good inter-calibration of the sensors. The multi-frequency signatures of both σº and radiometric temperature measurements (T(b)) from SSM/I are also studied. Temporal variability of the Amazon basin is studied using C-band ERS data and a Ku-band time series formed by SASS, NSCAT and QSCAT data. ESCAT data reveals a possible mismatch in the calibration of scatterometers between ERS-1 and ERS-2. Although the central Amazon forest represents an area of very stable radar backscatter measurements, portions of the southern region exhibit backscatter changes over the past two decades.

Keywords

Amazon basin; ERS-1/-2 scatterometer (ESCAT); NASA scatterometer (NSCAT); Remote sensing; Seasat scatterometer (SASS); SeaWinds scatterometer (QSCAT); Tropical Rain Measuring Mission Precipitation Radar (TRMM-PR) and Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I); Vegetation

Disciplines

Environmental Monitoring | Geographic Information Sciences | Plant Sciences

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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