Polarimetric Passive Remote Sensing of a Periodic Soil Surface: Microwave Measurements and Analysis

Abstract

Microwave radiopolarimetry is applied to remote sensing of azimuthally asymmetric features on Earth terrain. The first three components in the brightness-temperature modified Stokes vector are measured for a triangularly corrugated soil surface. The measurements are made at 10 GHz with horizontal, vertical, and 45° orientations. Significant values of the third Stokes brightness temperature UB are observed in various configurations. A theoretical analysis of the data incidates that the appreciable values of UB are caused by the azimuthal asymmetry on the remotely sensed soil surface.