Effects of corn on C- and L-band radar backscatter: A correction method for soil moisture retrieval

This paper discusses the effects of vegetation on C- (4.75 GHz) and L- (1.6 GHz) band backscattering (σ^o) measured throughout a growth cycle at incidence angles of 15, 35 and 55°. The utilized σ^o data set was collected by a truck mounted scatterometer over a corn field and is supported by a comprehensive set of ground measurements, including soil moisture and vegetation biomass. Comparison of σ^o measurement against simulations by the Integral Equation Method (IEM) surface scattering model (Fung et al., 1992) shows that the σ^o measurements are dominated either by an attenuated soil return or by scattering from vegetation depending on the antenna configuration and growth stage. Further, the measured σ^o is found to be sensitive to soil moisture even at peak biomass and large incidence angles, which is attributed to scattering along the soil-vegetation pathway.For the simulation of C-band σ^o and the retrieval of soil moisture two methods have been applied, which are the semi-empirical water cloud model (Attema & Ulaby, 1978) and a novel method. This alternative method uses the empirical relationships between the vegetation water content (W) and the ratio of the bare soil and the measured σ^o to correct for vegetation. It is found that this alternative method is superior in reproducing the measured σ^o as well as retrieving soil moisture. The highest retrieval accuracies are obtained at a 35° incidence angle leading to RMSD's of 0.044 and 0.037 m³ m^− 3 for the HH and VV-polarization, respectively. In addition, the sensitivity of these soil moisture retrievals to W and surface roughness parameter uncertainties is investigated.