## 2 SAR Data, Field Data and Study Sites
### Study Site Characteristics
Rice plots of the monitoring locations usually maintain flooded soil moisture with a 3-6-cm water level from the vegetative to the reproductive stage. Most of the 20 monitoring locations have a rice-rice cropping pattern, which was described as planting rice for two cropping seasons, wet and dry. Crop establishment during the wet season, 2013, in Nueva Ecija started in July. Rice farmers in the monitoring locations mostly planted NSIC Rc 222, an inbred variety with a duration of 114 days. This variety was popular because of its high-yielding capacity, resistance to pests and resistance to lodging. In Leyte, the municipalities were Matag-ob, Kananga and Ormoc City in the west and Dulag, Tolosa, Tanauan, Palo, Sta. Fe and Alang-alang in the east. The rice-rice cropping system is widely practiced in the province. Crop establishment in both east and west started in May, and the crop was harvested in September/October (wet season), with most of the farmers practicing transplanting. Most of the locations were irrigated, with the irrigation supply largely depending on the Bao, Binahaan, Pongso, Gibuga, Suong-Tibak and Mainit river irrigation systems. Varieties planted included NSIC Rc 222, NSIC Rc 238 and NSIC Rc 216, with a duration ranging from 110 to 114 days. Leyte was severely affected by \"super typhoon\" Haiyan (named Yolanda in the Philippines) on 8 November 2013, which passed directly over the region. Areas in eastern Leyte had already harvested by this date, while harvesting was in progress in western Leyte. Satellite observations, monitoring data and field validation data relevant to this study were all completed prior to this devastating typhoon. In Agusan del Norte, the monitoring locations for the dry season, 2013 (May to October), were found in the municipalities of Bayugan, Buenavista, Butuan City and Cabadbaran City. These areas are classified as irrigated lowland and mainly rely on the schedule of the release of irrigation water from the Cabadbaran and Taguibo river irrigation systems and the Aupagan area. However, some locations are also rainfed. Farmers with a regular irrigation supply maintain a 3-7-cm water level in the field during the vegetative and reproductive stages of the rice crop. The most common method of crop establishment is transplanting, but some farmers practice direct seeding. A majority of the farmers in the monitoring locations prefer PSB Rc18, NSIC Rc122 and NSIC Rc 160 rice varieties. Vietnam (Sites 5 and 6, Soc Trang and Nam Dinh): The lower Mekong is one of the most well-studied rice areas in the world, with multiple examples of SAR applications. In the 2013 summer-autumn (June to September) rice monitoring in Soc Trang Province, a majority of the farmers practiced direct seeding. OM rice varieties (Cuu Long Delta Rice Research Institute, Omon District, Cantho Province, Vietnam), such as OM4900, OM6976, OM1085, _etc._, were the dominant rice varieties used, with durations ranging from 95 to 110 days. Most of the rice fields that were monitored were irrigated areas. In the Red River Delta, the selected locations mostly covered Ha Nam and Nam Dinh provinces. Every year, this area is transplanted with two rice crops: spring-rice (February to June) and summer-rice (July to November). Most of the paddies monitored in the 2013 summer-rice season were irrigated. The dominant rice varieties planted in the monitoring locations were Tap Giao (125 days) and BC15 (135 days), and farmers mostly transplanted their rice plants. Indonesia (Site 7, Subang): Subang District, West Java, is one of the central rice production provinces in Indonesia. Since irrigation water is available year-round, farmers can grow rice in any month of the year. During the wet season, 2013/2014 (November to April), a total of 20 locations were monitored. In the monitoring locations, the main rice varieties used by farmers during the wet season were Ciberang, Inpari, Mekonga, Sintanur (115 days), IR42 and Ketan (135 days), and the common crop establishment method was transplanting.