A parametric study of the trunk-ground corner effect in forest remote sensing

In forestry applications, the use of microwave radar observations is limited by the difficulty in understanding the complex interaction between the target and the electromagnetic wave. In this study, the authors concentrate on the so-called trunk-ground corner effect. This effect is strongly dependent on the trunk biomass and its modelling could lead to efficient biomass retrieving algorithms. A method allowing the estimation of the scattering by shape-of-revolution objects is used to model the trunks and to derive a equivalent cylinder radius. The relation between biomass and backscattering cross-section is then established and the minimal conditions allowing the biomass retrieval are discussed