Methodology of Modeling Multiple Scattering Effects in Microwave Remote Sensing of Vegetation
Open AccessUnderstanding microwave scattering and emission from vegetation is an important research topic in the study of remote sensing of the Earth's resources. New satellite missions, such as European Space Agency's Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) and NASA's Soil Moisture Active and Passive (SMAP), employ L-band active and/or passive microwave sensors which can provide useful data to understand vegetation properties. Thus, the theoretical verification of these satellite measurements by using physics-based vegetation models is essential to estimate the vegetation biomass. This research focuses on investigating multiple scattering effects in microwave forest remote sensing models.A newly developed method, Fresnel Double Scattering (FDS) approximation, is presented herein to accurately and efficiently calculate the scattering cross section from two tree branches not necessarily in the far field of each other at L-band fre- quencies. The FDS method is based on the physical mechanism of single and double scattering. It is demonstrated that the FDS method provides a good approximation to the exact solutions of two branches modeled as one scatterer. The FDS method is employed to study the multiple scattering effects in a Caucasian fir tree.The Caucasian fir tree has been the subject of an intense measurement campaign at the European Microwave Signature Laboratory (EMSL), Joint Research Centre (JRC), Ispra, Italy. Data on its trunk, branch and needle locations have been ob- tained, as well as its dielectric properties and radar scattering signatures. The ge- ometry and dielectric data for this tree have been used to construct an accurate tree simulation. Calculated radar cross sections with multiple scattering included are com- pared with the experimental data that have been collected in an anechoic chamber at the JRC. This accurate simulation of the tree will eventually lead to improved estimates of forest biomass.
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