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A study examined the ability of 32 grade-5 students in Alberta (Canada) to interpret Radarsat satellite radar images. The students were able to interpret most elements of the images, but working directly with the CD-ROM proved too difficult for them. The Radarsat images have limited value as a geographic resource at the grade-5 level. (TD)

Describes the Canadian Radarsat Satellite and remote sensing in order to demonstrate that teachers can incorporate this technology into the classroom. Maintains that third, fourth, fifth, and sixth grade students can understand and interpret remote sensing images and Landsat images. Provides a list of teaching resources other than the expensive Radarsat CD-ROMs. (CMK)

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1. The size of lakes and the size distribution of lakes are important parameters controlling lake function, and how lakes interact with landscapes, the atmosphere and ecosystems. A baseline digital database of lakes could be used to improve understanding of lake function, to extrapolate lake information to regional and global scales, and as a basis for detecting future changes to lakes. 2. This paper examines the capabilities of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery produced by the Japanese Earth Resources Satellite (JERS-1) to map the number and size distribution of lakes in western Arctic Canada, Central Canada and the Pantanal (Brazil). 3. For the Arctic and Pantanal, the total area found within one lake size category increases towards smaller lakes. The opposite was true for the area in Central Canada. The number of lakes in the smallest size category, 0.01 to 0.1 km2, was underestimated for all regions owing to the resolution of the mosaics - 100 × 100m. The number of large lakes in the Pantanal was over-estimated through confusion with intermittent floodways that are scrubby grasslands and bare sand in the dry season and which exhibit low backscattering and therefore appear dark like lakes. 4. The lake distributions were combined with existing data to produce preliminary regional estimates of carbon accumulation. Lakes may accumulate as much as 1.7 and 1.3 t C km-2 yr-1 for the Arctic Canadian and Central Canadian areas, respectively. No estimates were produced for the Pantanal because there are no applicable data on carbon accumulation rates available for that region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]