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Greeley et al. 1997
Greeley, R., Blumberg, D.G., McHone, J.F., Dobrovolskis, A., Iversen, J.D., Lancaster, N., Rasmussen, K.R., Wall, S.D. and White, B.R. (1997). Applications of spaceborne radar laboratory data to the study of aeolian processes. Journal of Geophysical Research 102: doi: 10.1029/97JE00518. issn: 0148-0227.

Aerodynamic roughness (z0) is an important parameter in studies of sand and dust transport, as well as atmospheric circulation models. Aerodynamic roughness is a function of the size and spacing of surface roughness elements and is typically determined at point locations in the field from wind velocity profiles. Because field measurements require complex logistics, z0 values have been obtained for very few localities. If radar can be used to map z0, estimates can be obtained for large areas. In addition, because aerodynamic roughness can change in response to surface processes (e.g., flooding of alluvial surfaces), radar remote sensing could obtain new measurements on short timescales. Both z0 and the radar backscatter coefficient &sgr;0 are dependent on topographic roughness at the submeter scale, and correlation between these two parameters was developed based on radar data obtained from aircraft (AIRSAR). The Spaceborne Radar Laboratory (SRL) afforded the opportunity to test the correlation for data obtained from orbit. SRL data for sites in Death Valley, California; Lunar Lake, Nevada; and Gobabeb, Namibia, were correlated with wind data and compared with previous radar z0 relations. Correlations between &sgr;0 and z0 for L band (λ=24 cm) HV (H, vertically and V, vertically polarized modes) L band HH, and C band (λ=5.6 cm) HV compare favorably with previous studies. Based on these results, maps of z0 values were derived from SRL data for each site, demonstrating the potential to map z0 for large vegetation-free areas from orbit using radar systems.¿ 1997 American Geophysical Union <

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Abstract

Keywords
Planetology, Solid Surface Planets, Remote sensing, Planetology, Solid Surface Planets, Physical properties of materials, Planetology, Solid Surface Planets, Instruments and techniques, Information Related to Geographic Region, North America
Journal
Journal of Geophysical Research
http://www.agu.org/journals/jb/
Publisher
American Geophysical Union
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