Tabular summary of SIR-C/X-SAR results: synthetic aperture radar frequency and polarization requirements for applications in ecology and hydrology

The Spaceborne Imaging Radar-C, X-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SIR-C/X-SAR) was the first multifrequency and multipolarization SAR system to be launched into space. SIR-C is a two-frequency radar which simultaneously acquires polarimetric C-band (5.8 cm wavelength) and polarimetric L-band (23.5 cm wavelength). X-SAR operates at X-band (3.1 cm wavelength) and vertical polarization (VV). SIR-C/X-SAR was carried in the cargo bay of the Space Shuttle Endeavour in April and October 1994, imaging over 300 sites around the Earth and returning 143 terabits of data. SIR-C/X-SAR data have been used to validate algorithms (developed from earlier aircraft data) which produce maps of vegetation type and biomass, snow, soil and vegetation moisture or the distribution of wetlands. A polarimetric X- and L-band radar is suggested as a result of this overview for future SAR sensors.