Polarized reflectance of bare soils and vegetation: measurements and models

Abstract

A large set of spectral and directional signatures of the polarized reflectance acquired over various surfaces is presented. Two analytical physically-based models were developed, one for bare soils and the other for simple vegetation cover. They consider that the polarized reflectance is generated by single specular reflection over isotropically distributed facets or leaves. The models accurately reproduce the order of magnitude and the directional signature of the reflectance for view angles of up to ≈55°. It is confirmed that specular reflection is the main process that generates polarization over natural surfaces.