NASA Logo

NTRS

NTRS - NASA Technical Reports Server

Back to Results
Shuttle imaging radar A analysis of land use in AmazoniaOver large areas in the tropics, satellite imagery is the principal source of data on the area, current stature, and extent of disturbance of the forests. The information from imagery that covers large areas at low resolution is greatly enhanced when different types of imagery can be compared. The paper presents a comparison of data from Landsat MSS and from the Shuttle Imaging Radar (SIR-A) L band HH polarization data for sites in the Amazon Basin. Results indicate that SIR-A backscatter from the undisturbed forest was lower than that from some disturbed areas and from flooded forests and that SIR-A brightness, increases nonlinearly with the Landsat normalized difference vegetation index. It is hypothesized that the brightest radar returns in southern Amazonia are from newly cleared forests that are littered with standing and fallen tree boles that function as corner reflectors; and that backscatter will diminish from disturbed areas over time as fields are burned repeatedly.
Document ID
19880042055
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
Authors
Stone, Thomas A.
(Marine Biological Laboratory Woods Hole, MA, United States)
Woodwell, George M.
(Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution MA, United States)
Date Acquired
August 13, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 1988
Publication Information
Publication: International Journal of Remote Sensing
Volume: 9
ISSN: 0143-1161
Subject Category
Earth Resources And Remote Sensing
Accession Number
88A29282
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

Available Downloads

There are no available downloads for this record.
No Preview Available