Bistatic scattering characteristics of wheat and soybean by radiative transfer model in L band and C band

Abstract

Compared with the backscattering configuration, the bistatic scattering echoes can provide multidimensional information on land surface. Based on the Michigan Microwave Canopy Scattering (MIMICS) model, a first-order microwave bistatic scattering model for vegetations is developed in this paper. The dominant scattering mechanism for wheat and soybean in the L and C bands is analyzed by simulating the bistatic scattering echoes in multiple viewpoints, which can help us understand the interaction between incident wave and vegetation parameters. The influence of crop height, leaf size and moisture of vegetations and down layer soil on the scattering echoes is fully investigated. The simulations show that the bistatic scattering echoes are more sensitive to the vegetation parameters than that in backscattering configuration. There exist optimal scattering angles, in specular direction and in direction perpendicular to the incident plane, to improve the retrieval accuracy of vegetation parameters and moisture of soil surface. Moreover, the simulations demonstrate that bistatic scattering echoes in high frequency (C band) are a good choice to retrieve the vegetation parameters, and the echoes in low frequency (L band) are preferred to retrieve the soil parameters. This research can be used to provide reference for crop monitoring and future bistatic system design.