Satellite microwave radiometry of forest and surface types in Finland

10.7-, 18-, and 37-GHz data from the Nimbus-7 Scanning Multichannel Microwave Radiometer (Nimbus-7 SMMR) were used to investigate the microwave response to different surface and forest types. SMMR data for the fall seasons of 1978 through 1981 were compared against a digital surface type map that shows seven different surface types for southern Finland and six for northern Finland. For each land-cover category, the brightness temperature behavior as a function of frequency and polarization was determined. The precision of the results is evaluated, and they are compared to other published results. The discrimination of land-cover categories using the brightness temperature is discussed.>