DocumentCode
1024170
Title
A Re-Examination of Radar Terrain Backscattering at Nadir
Author
Eom, Hyo J. ; Boerner, Wolfgang M.
Author_Institution
Communications Laboratory, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60680
Issue
2
fYear
1986
fDate
3/1/1986 12:00:00 AM
Firstpage
232
Lastpage
234
Abstract
The theoretical behavior of nadir specular and diffuse radar backscattering from rough terrain is re-examined. Terrain is modeled as a random rough surface in the Kirchhoff approximation. The relative significance of specular (coherent) and diffuse (noncoherent) radar backscatter is compared in terms of the antenna system parameters (beamwidth, height, and frequency) and rough surface statistics. It has been found that in case of a high-altitude (space or airborne) radar, the ratio between coherent and noncoherent terrain backscatter is independent of its altitude of the radar platform. A possible explanation is suggested for the anomalous radar backscatter observed in the Skylab S-193 altimeter experiment.
Keywords
Airborne radar; Backscatter; Frequency; Kirchhoff´s Law; Radar antennas; Radar theory; Rough surfaces; Spaceborne radar; Statistics; Surface roughness;
fLanguage
English
Journal_Title
Geoscience and Remote Sensing, IEEE Transactions on
Publisher
ieee
ISSN
0196-2892
Type
jour
DOI
10.1109/TGRS.1986.289642
Filename
4072449
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