Viewing China with the ERS-1 WSC data

This paper analyses the distributive characteristic of the Chinese land surface backscatter coefficient with ERS-1 WSC data. Results show that the land surface backscatter coefficient image is a synthesis of the vegetation and terrain maps. The Takla Makan deserts, the Qingzang plateau, the ringlike Chengdu basin, and a chain of undulating southern China hills were observed. The remote sensing observations are very important for the study of the tectonics, vegetation and desertification. The statistical study of typical terrain shows that using the WSC data could discriminate six types of main land surface coverage including: deserts; Gobi; plateau and basin; mountains; vegetation; and snow-covered field. On the whole, the backscatter coefficient σ0 value ranges from -30--5 dB. The lowest value corresponds to the deserts of Takla Makan, Badain Jaran and Tengger. The highest value corresponds to snow-covered regions of the Himalaya and Tianshan mountains