The objective of this paper is to analyze the sensitivity of very high resolution TerraSAR-X radar data to surface soil parameters over bare soils, and their spatial variability at a fine scale (within field plot). The relationship between the backscattering coefficient and soil parameters (moisture, surface roughness, soil texture and local topography) was examined by means of four images of each of three agricultural plots, taken during several field campaigns in 2008 winter and spring. An estimation of local moisture is proposed, using an empirical method developed at the within field plot scale. The results show that the contribution of TerraSAR-X data, to the retrieval of local variations in soil moisture in bare agricultural fields, permits these to be determined with a root mean square error equal to 5%.
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