Estimation of Soil Moisture and Faraday Rotation From Bare Surfaces Using Compact Polarimetry

The potential of compact polarimetry (CP) mode at longer wavelengths in a space environment for surface parameter estimation is investigated. CP consists of transmitting a single polarization while receiving two polarizations. At longer wavelengths, one of the main challenges associated with CP from space is Faraday rotation (FR) estimation and correction. In this paper, an estimation procedure for FR is presented, which relies on the scattering properties of bare surfaces. The selection of the bare surfaces is based on a new parameter, the conformity coefficient computed from CP measurements. This parameter is shown to be FR invariant. Once estimated, the FR can be corrected over the whole image. A simple approximation to sigma_HH ^o and sigma_VV ^o based on CP measurements over bare soil surfaces is presented, from which soil moisture can be estimated using the 1995 Dubois algorithm. The results obtained using CP are shown to be in good agreement with those obtained from the standard Dubois algorithm using fully polarimetric data. This implies that, for soil moisture, CP can be used instead of HH and VV dual-polarized measurements.