Abstract- In this paper we examine an image obtained by
the C-band VV-polarized ERS-1 SAR with respect to potential
land applications. A scene obtained near noon on Aug. 15,
1991 along the U.S.-Canadian border near Sault Ste. Marie is
calibrated relative to an array of trihedral corner reflectors and
active radar calibrators distributed across the swath. Extensive
contemporaneous ground observations of forest stands are used
to predict go at the time of the SAR overpass using a first-order
vector radiative transfer model (MIMICS). These predictions
generally agree with the calibrated ERS-1 data to within 1 dB.
It is demonstrated that the dynamic range of go is sufficient to
perform limited discrimination of various forest and grassland
communities even for a single-date observation. Furthermore, it
is demonstrated that retrieval of near-surface soil moisture is
feasible for grass-covered soils when plant biomass is less than
1 tonne/ha.