## Rice Monitoring, Mekong Delta, Vietnam

The image shown here is a multitemporal colour composite image derived from three ERS synthetic aperture radar images of the Mekong River Delta during the early part of the rice growing seasons (red: May 5; green: June 9; blue: July 14) in 1996. The many colours displayed show the different areas under different rice cropping systems. The areas which appear grey are where the backscattering coefficient remained relatively constant throughout the season. These areas correspond to relatively invariant surface features such as the inland melaleuca forests, the coastal mangrove forests, the linear settlements, homestead gardens and orchards along canals and roads; and the built-up areas.

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