MAPPING OF SURFACE SOIL MOISTURE ON PERMAFROST 
REGION IN TIBETAN PLATEAU FROM JERS-1 SAR 
Hironori Yabuki 
Katsumoto Seko 
Toshio Koike 
Nagoy University 
Institute for Hydrospheric - Atmospheric Sciences 
Chikusa-ku - Nagoya 464-01, Japan 
ISPRS Commission VII / Working Group 8 
ABSTRACT 
Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) is micro-wave radar which can observe the earth surface condition 
independent of weather. Soil moisture affects the formation of melt-layer, refrozen process and surface 
heat balance in permafrost region. If mapping of soil moisture is feasible from satellite, we can map the 
distribution of permafrost by combining other information such as surface ground temperature. 
In the present research, we shall try to investigate surface soil moisture by using multi-temporal JERS-1 
SAR images (Jan. 9, May 21, Aug. 7, 1993) and TM image from Landsat-5 (Jan. 27, 1989) and ground 
observation data in Tanggula Mts., Tibetan Plateau. 
Wet-land in permafrost region has much soil moisture and "earth hammock" (mound from 30 cm to 50 
cm in diameter) is found. The surface roughness, soil moisture, and incident angle affect the 
backscatering intensity. In this region, micro-wave backscatering intensity. In this region, micro-wave 
backscatering intensity increase from January to August, and backscatering intensity of wet-land is 
always larger than that of dry-land. We are going to estimate the relationship between soil moisture and 
backscatering intensity quantitatively and try to retrieve permafrost region. 
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