Large-scale vegetation features of the Amazon basin visible on the JERS-1 low-water Amazon mosaic

During September-November 1995, and again in May-June 1996, high-resolution L-band HH-polarized SAR imagery of the entire Amazon basin was acquired by the JERS-1 satellite, as part of Global Rain Forest Mapping project. Approximately 2500 scenes for each date are being mosaicked into digital datasets with 3 arc-second (approximately 100 m) resolution, and regional mosaics at the original 12.5 m resolution are being compiled for selected areas. The acquisitions were timed to low-water (Sep-Oct 1995) and high-water (May-Jun 1996) conditions for the main stem of the Amazon River. Mosaicking of the low-water data has been completed by NASDA. Mosaicking of the high-water data, and land-cover classification of the joint dataset, are ongoing. This paper presents an overview of major vegetation features visible on the low-water mosaic, and an initial assessment of the backscattering characteristics of representative areas.