Radar spectral observations of snowRadar remote sensing experiments have been conducted at test sites in Kansas, Colorado, and South Dakota over the last six years to examine backscatter coefficient response to snowcovered terrain. Truck-mounted 1-35 GHz scatterometers were employed in conjunction with detailed ground-truth measurements. From these experiments and associated modeling efforts, most of the fundamental questions concerning backscatter behavior in response to important snow parameters have been, at least qualitatively, answered. The optimum angular range seems to be between 20 and 50 deg and, for these angles, the results indicate that the radar backscatter generally: (1) increases with increasing water equivalent, (2) decreases with increasing liquid water, (3) increases with increasing crystal size, (4) is insensitive to surface roughness for dry snow conditions, and (5) can be sensitive to soil state if the snowcover is dry. This paper gives a summary of these results, along with empirical and theoretical models for describing the backscatter from snow.
Document ID
19830028846
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Proceedings
Authors
Stiles, W. H. (Kansas Univ. Center for Research, Inc. Lawrence, KS, United States)
Ulaby, F. T. (Kansas Univ. Center for Research, Inc. Lawrence, KS, United States)
Fung, A. K. (Kansas Univ. Center for Research, Inc. Lawrence, KS, United States)
Aslam, A. (University of Kansas Center for Research, Inc., Lawrence KS, United States)
Date Acquired
August 11, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 1981
Subject Category
Earth Resources And Remote Sensing
Meeting Information
Meeting: International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium