SURFACE PARAMETER ESTIMATION USING BISTATIC POLARIMETRIC X-BAND MEASUREMENTS

Abstract

The main purpose of this paper is to separately estimate the important surface parameters (soil moisture and roughness) by using full polarimetric bistatic measurements. The results provide a basis for new satellite application of future bistatic measurement systems such as the TanDEM-X satellite mission. Initially, bistatic X-band measurements, which have been recorded in the Bistatic Measurement Facility (BMF) at the DLR Oberpfafienhofen, Microwaves and Radar Institute, will be presented. The bistatic measurement sets are composed of soils with difierent well-known statistical roughness scales and difierent moistures. The BMF has been calibrated using the Isolated Antenna Calibration Technique (IACT). The validation of the calibration was achieved by measuring the re∞ectivity of fresh water. In the second part, the assessment of the surface parameters (soil moisture and surface roughness) using the well calibrated data introduced in the former related part, will be detailed. The validation of the specular algorithm by estimating the soil moisture of two surfaces with difierent roughness scales will be reported. Additionally, a new technique using the coherent term of the Integral Equation Method (IEM) to estimate the soil roughness will be presented, as well as the sensitivity of phase and re∞ectivity with regard to moisture variation and therefore the penetration depth was evaluated. Current results demonstrate a non-linear relationship