Abstract
The objective of this study is to develop algorithms for estimation of soil and snow hydrological parameters by using Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) based on microwave radiative transfer theory. The backscattering coefficient of the land surface obtained by SAR is affected not only by soil moisture or snow depth but also by surface roughness and other factors. The ground-based measurement data obtained under the various conditions of the bare soil and snow was examined for understanding the characteristics of the distributions of two surface roughness parameters, that is, the standard deviation of surface height and the correlation length of surface. Multi-parameter SAR algorithms for estimation of soil moisture and snow surface parameters were developed based on numerical simulation by using the scattering model that includes Integral Equation Method (IEM) and first-order radiative transfer solution.
