New empirical model for radar scattering from bare soils

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to propose a new semi-empirical radar backscattering model for bare soil surfaces based on the Dubois model. A wide dataset of backscattering coefficients extracted from SAR (synthetic aperture radar) images and in situ soil surface parameter measurements (moisture content and roughness) is used. This dataset contains a wide range of incidence angles (18°-57°) and radar wavelengths (L, C, X), well distributed geographically for regions with different climate conditions (humid, semi-arid and arid sites) and involving many SAR sensors. The proposed model, developed in HH, HV and VV polarizations, uses a formulation of radar signals based on physical principles that validated in numerous studies. The results show that the new model shows a very good performance for different radar wavelength (L, C, X), incidence angles, and polarizations (Root Mean Square Error 'RMSE' about 2 dB).