Seasat over-land scatterometer data. I. Global overview of the Ku-band backscatterer coefficients

Statistics on the backscatter coefficient sigma /sup 0/ from the Ku-band Seasat-A Satellite Scatterometer (SASS) collected over the world's land surfaces are presented. This spaceborne scatterometer provided data on sigma /sup 0/ between latitude 80 degrees S and 80 degrees N at incidence angles up to 70 degrees . The global statistics of vertical (V) and horizontal (H) polarization backscatter coefficients for 10 degrees bands in latitude are presented for incidence angles between 20 degrees and 70 degrees and compared with the Skylab and ground spectrometer results. Global images of the time-averaged V polarization sigma /sup 0/ at a 45 degrees incidence angle and its dependence on the incidence angle are presented and compared to a generalized map of the terrain type. Global images of the differences between the V an H polarization backscatter coefficients are presented and discussed. The most inhomogeneous region, which contains the deserts of North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, is studied in greater detail and compared with the terrain type. >

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