Correlations between X-, C-, and L-band imagery within an agricultural environment

The similarities and differences between imagery acquired at X-, C- and L-bands are examined by calculating the correlations between X-, C-, and L-band SAR data acquired over an agricultural area near Melfort, Saskatchewan in western Canada with the CCRS SAR-580. The SAR data were acquired on two separate occasions during the growing season (July and August, 1983) with vertical polarization in both transmit and receive. It was found that the correlations between the C- and L-band and between X- and L-band data were very low indicating that the radar backscatter at the different frequencies is caused by different mechanisms. The correlation between X- and C-band data was low for grains, which have a well defined vertical structure. For canola and field peas, which are both broadleaved plants with little definite structure, there was a higher correlation between the measured back-scatter values. For L-band data the primary cause of the radar backscatter is probably from the underlying soil and thus...