We present issues and solutions concerning the calibration and validation of ENVISAT ASAR image products – both their geometry and radiometry are investigated. Concerning geometric calibration, the slant range products (IMS, APS) offer the best available resolution. We tabulate differences between measured (in image products) and predicted (via geodetic position, precise state vectors, and rang...

Doñana National Park wetlands are located in southwest Spain, on the right bank of the Guadalquivir River, near the Atlantic Ocean coast. The wetlands dry out completely every summer and progressively flood again throughout the fall and winter seasons. Given the flatness of Doñana’s topography, the wind drag action can induce the flooding or emergence of extensive areas, detectable in remote se...

The Polarimetric Synthetic Aperture Radar (PolSAR) systems use electromagnetic radiations of different polarizations in the microwave frequency to collect scattering information from targets on Earth. Nevertheless, as with any other electronic device, PolSAR are also not ideal and subjected distortions. most important these distortions polarimetric caused due channel imbalance, phase bias, cros...

The present paper proposes a method for the evaluation of soil evaporation, using soil moisture estimations based on radar satellite measurements. We present firstly an approach for the estimation and monitoring of soil moisture in a semi-arid region in North Africa, using ENVISAT ASAR images, over two types of vegetation covers. The first mapping process is dedicated solely to the monitoring o...

Space borne radar data facilitates continuous monitoring of almost any location on the earth (limitations in polar zones) at quite low costs. Almost weather-independent operation of radar systems enables a reliable and continuous record of data from earth’s surface. In the framework of an ESA pilot project (AO335), ENVISAT polarimetric SAR data of year 2004 are examined for their usefulness in ...

We demonstrate that interferometric observations of the Mw6.6 Bam (Iran) earthquake on December 26, 2003 acquired by Envisat-ASAR can not only map surface displacements and constrain fault models, but can also be used for damage mapping using the coherence magnitude. The Bam earthquake was the deadliest earthquake in 2003. An estimated 30000 people were killed and 85% of the buildings in the ar...

Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) has been recognized as a powerful tool for modeling ocean waves and forecasting over an area of 300 km x 300 km. The quantitative descriptors of the ocean surface wave properties such as wave height and wave slope spectra can retrieve from several satellite SAR missions, such as ENVISAT ASAR data.The retrieving techniques of sea surface quantitative descriptors in...