BYU High Resolution Images of NSCAT Sigma0 Measurements

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The NASA scatterometer (NSCAT) provided normalized radar cross section (sigma0) measurements of the Earth's surface. While originally designed for wind observation, scatterometer sigma0 measurements have proven useful in a variety of land and ice studies. To aid in the application of these measurements, Brigham Young University (BYU) has prepared this dataset consisting of enhanced resolution images generated from NSCAT sigma0 measurements.

This data set contains images from 16 regions around the globe. Images are made from NSCAT Level 1.5 data (geo-located sigma0 cells) and processed using the BYU SIRF algorithm. To produce the highest possible spatial resolution as well as to ensure full coverage over the images, multiple orbit passes are combined. This data set also contains ASCII ice extent files from the Arctic and the Antarctic. The study period was from 15 September 1996 to 26 June 1997.

The parameters provided in the images include polarization, geographical region, time span, image type, and reconstruction technique. These data are available via FTP.

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Data Citation

Long, D.G., and M.R. Drinkwater. 1999. Cryosphere applications of NSCAT data. (Invited paper.) IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing 37(3): 1671-1684.

Long, D.G., M.R. Drinkwater, B. Holt, S. Saatchi, and C. Bertoia. 2001. Global ice and land climate studies using scatterometer image data. EOS, Transaction of the American Geophysical Union 82(43): 503. Includes electronic supplement: http://www.agu.org/eos_elec/010126e.html.

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