BOREAS Boreal Forest Radar Images from NASA DC-8 Aircraft

1993 to 1995 radar backscatter images of the boreal forest, collected by the NASA JPL AIRSAR system on a DC-8 aircraft. The dataset contains Level-3b compressed Stokes matrix data, enabling synthesis of various radar measurements across horizontal and vertical polarizations. It was created by the BOREAS RSS-16 team and NASA to study forest moisture regimes.

Use Cases

• Analyzing radar backscatter coefficients (HH, HV, VH, VV) to estimate forest biomass and structure.
• Studying temporal changes in soil and vegetation moisture within the BOREAS study areas (SSA, NSA).
• Developing and validating algorithms for synthesizing radar measurements from compressed Stokes matrix data.
• Comparing airborne AIRSAR data with satellite SAR observations for calibration and scaling studies.

Strengths

• Data covers a specific two-year campaign from August 1993 to July 1995, providing a temporal snapshot.
• Includes multi-polarization radar backscatter information (HH, HV, VH, VV) for detailed scattering analysis.
• Collected by the NASA JPL AIRSAR system, a recognized instrument for airborne synthetic aperture radar.
• Companion files include an image inventory and thumbnails for data discovery and preview.

Limitations

• Key metadata conflicts: 'last updated' date differs significantly between Data.gov (2026) and NASA Earthdata (1995).
• Core quantitative details like row count, file size, and specific column names are unavailable from all sources.
• Data is stored in a specialized binary format (compressed Stokes matrix), requiring specific tools for processing.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), BOREAS RSS-16 team.

Collection Method

Acquired via the NASA JPL AIRSAR side-looking imaging radar system mounted on a NASA DC-8 aircraft.

Time Range

1993-08-12 to 1995-07-31

Freshness

2026-03-13 12:22:18.758724

Geography

Portions of the BOREAS Southern Study Area (SSA) and Northern Study Area (NSA).