ABSTRACT:
Images from SEASAT-A synthetic aperture radar (SAR), L-Band (HH), provided data on the vegetational and drainage characteristics of an arid pediment near Tucson, Arizona. This pebble-covered pediment has two distinct vegetational associations: a creosote bush-bur sage (Larrea-Franseria) association on the finer soils and a paloverde-saguaro (Cercidium-Cereus) association on the coarser soils. The radar backscatter from the pediment proved to be related to the spacing and the amount of sur-face area covered by the two associations. In addition, mixed mesquite (Prosopis juliflora) and paloverde (Cercidium) provided strong backscatter and enhanced drainage patterns on the lower pediment surface.
Footnotes
M. Leonard Bryan is a member of the technical staff, Earth and Space Sciences Division, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, 91109. This paper presents results of research carried out at Jet Propulsion Laboratory under Contract NAS7–100, sponsored by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
- Copyright 1981 by the Soil and Water Conservation Society
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