S-BAND RADAR IMAGERY IN STUDIES OF EARTH TERRAIN FEATURES

Abstract

The first results of an experimental terrain study of arid volcanic regions using radar imagery in the S band by a synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) on board the Almaz-I satellite are presented. A reference plot, for which precise topographic and geological data were available, was selected to assess the possibility of using SAR imagery for this purpose. These data were used to test the geometric and radiometric reliability of imagery recorded by a spaceborne SAR. The modeling of an SAR image of the reference plot and its comparison with a real image made it possible to develop a method for assessing the physical parameters of the underlying surface using data from an SAR operating in the S range.