The BOREAS RSS-16 team used satellite and aircraft SAR data in conjunction with various ground measurements to determine the moisture regime of the boreal forest. RSS-16 assisted with the acquisition and ordering of NASA JPL AIRSAR data collected from the NASA DC-8 aircraft. The NASA JPL AIRSAR is a side-looking imaging radar system that utilizes the SAR principle to obtain high-resolution images that represent the radar backscatter of the imaged surface at different frequencies and polarizations. The information contained in each pixel of the AIRSAR data represents the radar backscatter for all possible combinations of horizontal and vertical transmit and receive polarizations (i.e., HH, HV, VH, and VV). Geographically, the data cover portions of the BOREAS SSA and NSA. Temporally, the data were acquired from 12-Aug-1993 to 31-Jul-1995. The level-3b AIRSAR CM data are in compressed Stokes matrix format, which has 10 bytes per pixel. From this data format, it is possible to synthesize a number of different radar backscatter measurements. The data are stored in binary image format files. Companion files include (1) an image inventory listing to inform users of the images that are available and (2) example thumbnail images that may be viewed and the image data files downloaded using a convenient viewer utility.

The BOREAS RSS-16 team used satellite and aircraft SAR data in conjunction with various ground measurements to determine the moisture regime of the boreal forest. RSS-16 assisted with the acquisition and ordering of NASA JPL AIRSAR data collected from the NASA DC-8 aircraft. The NASA JPL AIRSAR is a side-looking imaging radar system that utilizes the SAR principle to obtain high resolution images that represent the radar backscatter of the imaged surface at different frequencies and polarizations. The information contained in each pixel of the AIRSAR data represents the radar backscatter for all possible combinations of horizontal and vertical transmit and receive polarizations (i.e., HH, HV, VH, and VV). Geographically, the data cover portions of the BOREAS SSA and NSA. Temporally, the data were acquired from 12-Aug-1993 to 31-Jul-1995. The level-3b AIRSAR SY data are the JPL synoptic product and contain 3 of the 12 total frequency and polarization combinations that are possible.

The BOREAS RSS-11 team operated a network of five automated (Cimel) and two hand-held (Miami) solar radiometers from 1994 to 1996 during the BOREAS field campaigns. The data provide aerosol optical depth measurements, size distribution, phase function, and column water vapor amounts over points in northern Saskatchewan and Manitoba, Canada. The data are useful for the correction of remotely sensed aircraft and satellite images. The data are provided in tabular ASCII files.

The BOREAS RSS-03 team collected multiple remotely sensed data sets from the NASA UH-1 helicopter. This data set includes helicopter-based radiometric measurements of forested sites acquired during BOREAS made with an SE-590 processed to reflectance factors. The data used in this analysis were collected in 1994 during the three BOREAS IFCs at numerous tower and auxiliary sites in both the NSA and the SSA. The 15-degree FOV of the SE-590 yielded a ground resolution of approximately 79 m at the 300-m nominal altitude.

The BOREAS RSS-12 team collected both ground and airborne sunphotometer measurements for use in characterizing the aerosol optical properties of the atmosphere during the BOREAS data collection activities. These measurements are to be used to: 1) measure the magnitude and variability of the aerosol optical depth in both time and space; 2) determine the optical properties of the boreal aerosols; and 3) atmospherically correct some remotely sensed data acquired during BOREAS. These data cover selected days and times from May to September 1994 and were taken from one of two ground sites near Candle Lake in the SSA. The data described in this document are from the field sunphotometer data.

The RSS-03 team acquired helicopter-based measurements of forested sites during BOREAS with a Barnes MMR. The data were collected in 1994 during the rhree BOREAS IFCs at numerous tower and auxiliary sites in both the NSA and SSA. The 15-degree FOV of the MMR yielded approximately 79 m from the 300 m altitude ground resolution. The MMR has seven spectral bands that are similar to the Landsat TM bands, ranging from the blue region to the thermal. Note:

The BOREAS RSS-18 team collected ground-based sunphotometer data in support of AVIRIS remote sensing activities at the SSA. The following information was compiled by staff members of the BOReal Ecosystem-Atmosphere Study (BOREAS) Information System (BORIS) as part of their data documentation efforts.