Earth remote sensing with an electrically scanned thinned array radiometer.

摘要

The verification of the Electrically Scanned Thinned Array Radiometer (ESTAR) sensor for remote sensing of soil moisture is presented, and its ability to measure ocean salinity is examined. The research and development that led to verification are presented, beginning with the development of a linearly polarized thinned array, and continuing with the reconstruction of complex correlators, calibration signal distribution, and instrument packaging. Experimental results from two airborne soil moisture campaigns are presented: the first serves to quantitatively verify ESTAR soil moisture capability by comparison with an accepted model and by comparison with another operational sensor; the second demonstrates qualitatively the continuing utility of ESTAR for soil moisture under a variety of soil conditions. Salinity data are presented that suggest an ability to resolve changes in ocean salinity. As the second soil moisture experiment and the salinity experiment are quite recent, full analysis is deferred until more complete in situ data become available. Practical comments on ESTAR experimentation are included in the appendices.