FIGURE 2.

Variations of radar backscatter measurements across the Amazon Basin. Radar backscatter coefficients at Ku‐band are used as a proxy for changes of canopy water content showing: (a) spatial variations as an RGB color composite of QuikSCAT (QSCAT) radar backscatter in the months of April, July, and October capturing regional and seasonal changes, (b) seasonal cycle of QSCAT backscatter averaged across two regions in southwest and northeast of the Amazon, (c) diurnal cycle of the same regions detected by the RapidSCAT satellite observations onboard International Space Station from 2014 to 2016, and (d) time series of QSCAT backscatter capturing seasonal and interannual variations including extreme droughts of 2005 in the southwest of the Amazon