Unlocking the Aeolian Landscape Using NISAR L-Band Polarimetric SAR

Abstract

Celebrating one year since its launch, the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) mission leverages dual-frequency (L-band and S-band) polarimetric SAR to map Earth's land and ice masses every 12 days. This study interprets an aeolian (wind-formed) landscape in and around the Jaisalmer district, Rajasthan, using NISAR L-band SAR imagery acquired on June 30, 2026 (HH, HV, and an RGB composite where Red = HH, Green = HV, Blue = HH/HV). To validate interpretations and track surface transitions from cropped to harvested and tilled stages, the SAR observations are supported by a near-coincident Sentinel-2 False Color Composite (FCC) optical acquisition from June 28, 2026, alongside a multi-temporal optical series from February and April 2026. Across this landscape, the Indira Gandhi Canal acts as a major structural boundary, separating a preserved, natural aeolian environment to the north from an anthropogenically modified agricultural regime to the south.