Surface Parameter Estimation Over Periodic Surfaces Using a Time-Frequency Approach

The aim of this paper is to analyze the feasibility of soil moisture retrieval over rough periodic surfaces. For this kind of fields, the Bragg phenomenon effect appears and the inversion algorithms are shown to be no more valid. Using a time-frequency approach and a new random periodic surface scattering model, a polarimetric analysis allows to show that the use of alpha₁ polarimetric parameter is important for the inversion since it is quasi insensible to this phenomenon. Thus, the alpha₁ inversion method is proposed that provides some encouraging results.