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A Microwave Scattering Model for Simulating the C-Band SAR Backscatter of Wheat Canopy

Received: 11 July 2019     Accepted: 31 July 2019     Published: 20 September 2019
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Abstract

Accurate simulation of microwave scattering characteristics of wheat canopy can provide valuable insights into the scattering mechanisms of wheat crops. In this study, a wheat canopy scattering model (WCSM) was developed on a basis of first-order microwave radiative transfer equation. Several WCSM inputs, including wheat canopy and soil parameters, were measured in situ at the time (or near the time) of the satellite observation. The backscattering coefficients of wheat fields were then simulated at various incident angles and polarization modes. Four C-band quad-polarized (Radarsat-2 and Gaofen-3) SAR data were used to evaluate the WCSM performance in four key growth stages of winter wheat from stem elongation to ripening in 2017. Results showed that the WCSM simulated backscattering coefficients of wheat fields with error lower than 1.8 dB. This study demonstrates that the proposed WCSM is effective in characterizing the C-band backscatter features of wheat crops for various growth phases. It also indicated that the operational potential of C-band satellite SAR systems such as the Radarsat-2 and the China Gaofen-3 SAR in monitoring wheat growth for food safety in important agricultural regions.

Published in American Journal of Remote Sensing (Volume 7, Issue 1)
DOI 10.11648/j.ajrs.20190701.13
Page(s) 13-24
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2019. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Wheat Canopy, Wheat Canopy Scattering Model (WCSM), Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), C-band, Backscatter, Simulation

References
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Cite This Article
  • APA Style

    Wenjia Yan, Yuan Zhang, Tianpeng Yang, Xiaohui Liu. (2019). A Microwave Scattering Model for Simulating the C-Band SAR Backscatter of Wheat Canopy. American Journal of Remote Sensing, 7(1), 13-24. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajrs.20190701.13

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    ACS Style

    Wenjia Yan; Yuan Zhang; Tianpeng Yang; Xiaohui Liu. A Microwave Scattering Model for Simulating the C-Band SAR Backscatter of Wheat Canopy. Am. J. Remote Sens. 2019, 7(1), 13-24. doi: 10.11648/j.ajrs.20190701.13

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    AMA Style

    Wenjia Yan, Yuan Zhang, Tianpeng Yang, Xiaohui Liu. A Microwave Scattering Model for Simulating the C-Band SAR Backscatter of Wheat Canopy. Am J Remote Sens. 2019;7(1):13-24. doi: 10.11648/j.ajrs.20190701.13

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  • @article{10.11648/j.ajrs.20190701.13,
      author = {Wenjia Yan and Yuan Zhang and Tianpeng Yang and Xiaohui Liu},
      title = {A Microwave Scattering Model for Simulating the C-Band SAR Backscatter of Wheat Canopy},
      journal = {American Journal of Remote Sensing},
      volume = {7},
      number = {1},
      pages = {13-24},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ajrs.20190701.13},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajrs.20190701.13},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajrs.20190701.13},
      abstract = {Accurate simulation of microwave scattering characteristics of wheat canopy can provide valuable insights into the scattering mechanisms of wheat crops. In this study, a wheat canopy scattering model (WCSM) was developed on a basis of first-order microwave radiative transfer equation. Several WCSM inputs, including wheat canopy and soil parameters, were measured in situ at the time (or near the time) of the satellite observation. The backscattering coefficients of wheat fields were then simulated at various incident angles and polarization modes. Four C-band quad-polarized (Radarsat-2 and Gaofen-3) SAR data were used to evaluate the WCSM performance in four key growth stages of winter wheat from stem elongation to ripening in 2017. Results showed that the WCSM simulated backscattering coefficients of wheat fields with error lower than 1.8 dB. This study demonstrates that the proposed WCSM is effective in characterizing the C-band backscatter features of wheat crops for various growth phases. It also indicated that the operational potential of C-band satellite SAR systems such as the Radarsat-2 and the China Gaofen-3 SAR in monitoring wheat growth for food safety in important agricultural regions.},
     year = {2019}
    }
    

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  • TY  - JOUR
    T1  - A Microwave Scattering Model for Simulating the C-Band SAR Backscatter of Wheat Canopy
    AU  - Wenjia Yan
    AU  - Yuan Zhang
    AU  - Tianpeng Yang
    AU  - Xiaohui Liu
    Y1  - 2019/09/20
    PY  - 2019
    N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajrs.20190701.13
    DO  - 10.11648/j.ajrs.20190701.13
    T2  - American Journal of Remote Sensing
    JF  - American Journal of Remote Sensing
    JO  - American Journal of Remote Sensing
    SP  - 13
    EP  - 24
    PB  - Science Publishing Group
    SN  - 2328-580X
    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajrs.20190701.13
    AB  - Accurate simulation of microwave scattering characteristics of wheat canopy can provide valuable insights into the scattering mechanisms of wheat crops. In this study, a wheat canopy scattering model (WCSM) was developed on a basis of first-order microwave radiative transfer equation. Several WCSM inputs, including wheat canopy and soil parameters, were measured in situ at the time (or near the time) of the satellite observation. The backscattering coefficients of wheat fields were then simulated at various incident angles and polarization modes. Four C-band quad-polarized (Radarsat-2 and Gaofen-3) SAR data were used to evaluate the WCSM performance in four key growth stages of winter wheat from stem elongation to ripening in 2017. Results showed that the WCSM simulated backscattering coefficients of wheat fields with error lower than 1.8 dB. This study demonstrates that the proposed WCSM is effective in characterizing the C-band backscatter features of wheat crops for various growth phases. It also indicated that the operational potential of C-band satellite SAR systems such as the Radarsat-2 and the China Gaofen-3 SAR in monitoring wheat growth for food safety in important agricultural regions.
    VL  - 7
    IS  - 1
    ER  - 

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Author Information
  • Key Laboratory of Geographic Information Science (Ministry of Education), East China Normal University, Shanghai, China

  • Key Laboratory of Geographic Information Science (Ministry of Education), East China Normal University, Shanghai, China

  • Key Laboratory of Geographic Information Science (Ministry of Education), East China Normal University, Shanghai, China

  • Key Laboratory of Wetland Ecology and Environment, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, China

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