A new empirical model to inverse soil moisture and roughness using two radar configurations

摘要

A new empirical model for the retrieval, at a field scale, of the bare soil moisture content and the surface roughness characteristics from radar measurements is proposed. The derivation of the algorithm is based on the results of 3 experimental radar campaigns conducted under natural conditions over agricultural areas. Radar data were acquired by means of several C-band space borne (SIR-C, RADARSAT) or helicopter borne (ERASME) sensors. This algorithm is more specifically developed using the radar cross-section /spl sigma//sup 0/ (HH polarization and 39/spl deg/ incidence angle off nadir), namely, /spl sigma//sub 0(HH,39)/, and the differential (HH polarization) radar cross-section /spl Delta//spl sigma//sub 0/=/spl sigma//sub 0,23/spl deg//-/spl sigma//sub 0,39/spl deg// in terms of an original roughness parameter, Zs, and Mv. An inversion technique is proposed to retrieve Zs and Mv from radar measurements.