Polarimetric multi-angular Radarsat-2 data sensitivity to surface parameters

The objective of this study is to evaluate the potential of C-band polarimetric multi-angular Radarsat-2 datasets to characterize soil moisture and surface roughness over bare agricultural fields. The polarimetric parameters derived from single angular and dual angular SAR data are examined to analyze the polarimetric sensitivities to bare surfaces. In the case of single angular analysis, the results show that smooth surfaces can be separated from medium rough as well as rough surfaces. Polarimetric parameters SRalpha1, ρ_hhvv have potentials to characterize soil moisture. In the case of dual angular analysis, the backscattering coefficient differences between two incidence angles Δσ in HH and VV polarization depend negatively on surface roughness and positively on soil moisture.