A comparison of observation with theory [rice biomass]

In the Zhaoqing test site of Southern China, multi-temporal Radarsat data were acquired in 1997. Ground measurements of rice parameters were simultaneously made during these missions. In this paper, the measured rice parameters are used in a theoretical model based on vector radiative transfer theory to predict the radar backscatter from different rice growths. Good agreement can be obtained between model prediction results and Radarsat observations. The sensitivity of radar backscattering coefficients to rice biomass is analyzed. It shows that rice biomass has good relationship with radar backscattering coefficients. So the radar backscattering coefficients can be expressed as a function of the rice biomass. The effect of rice biomass variety on the multi-temporal SAR data is quite obvious. As the rice biomass increases, the values of backscattering coefficient become high