Radar technology is increasingly being used to monitor the environment. This monograph provides a review of polarimetric radar techniques for remote sensing. The first four chapters cover the basics of mathematical, statistical modelling as well as physical modelling based on radiowave scattering theory. The subsequent eight chapters summarize applications of polarimetric radar monitoring for various types of earth environments, including vegetation and oceans. The last two chapters provide a summary of Western as well as former Soviet Union knowledge and the outlook. This monograph is of value to students, scientists and engineers involved in remote sensing development and applications in particular for environmental monitoring.

As the need for accurate and non-invasive optical characterization and diagnostic techniques is rapidly increasing, it is imperative to find improved ways of extracting the additional information contained within the measured parameters of the scattered light. This is the first specialized monograph on photopolarimetry, a rapidly developing, multidisciplinary topic with numerous military, ecological remote-sensing, astrophysical, biomedical, and technological applications. The main objective is to describe and discuss techniques developed in various disciplines to acquire useful information from the polarization signal of scattered electromagnetic waves. It focuses on the state-of-the-art in polarimetric detection, characterization, and remote sensing, including military and environmental monitoring as well as terrestrial, atmospheric, and biomedical characterization. The book identifies polarimetric techniques that have been especially successful for various applications as well as the future needs of the various research communities. The monograph is intended to facilitate cross-pollination of ideas and thereby improve research efficiency and help advance the field of polarimetry into the future. The book is thoroughly interdisciplinary and contains only invited review chapters written by leading experts in the respective fields. It will be useful to science professionals, engineers, and graduate students working in a broad range of disciplines: optics, electromagnetics, atmospheric radiation and remote sensing, radar meteorology, oceanography, climate research, astrophysics, optical engineering and technology, particle characterization, and biomedical optics.

Advances in space-borne remote sensing have significantly changed the mankind viewpoint how to observe our own Earth planet. Great amount of remote sensing data and images presents new resources to quantitatively describe and monitor our Earth environment, atmosphere, oceanic and land surfaces. In remote sensing, electromagnetic (EM) scattering, emission and wave propagation, as interaction with the Earth environment, lay the physical basis for understanding and extracting geoscientific information. Study of electromagnetic waves with remote sensing application has become an active and interdisciplinary area. This book presents some new progress on the theoretical and numerical approaches for information retrieval of the remote sensing via EM scattering and emission. We begin in Chapter 1 with the vector radiative transfer (VRT) theory for inhomogeneous scatter media. The VRT takes account of multiple scattering, emission and propagation of random scatter media, and quantitatively leads to insights of elucidating and understanding EM wave-terrain surface interaction. Meanwhile, it is extensively applicable to carrying out data interpretation and validation, and to solving the inverse problem, e.g. iteratively, physically or statistically. In Chapter 1, iterative solutions of multiple scattering and emission from inhomogeneous dense scatter media, and inhomogeneous non-spherical scatter media are discussed. Three-dimensional VRT equation (3D-VRT) for spatially inhomogeneous random scatter media for high resolution observation is also investigated. The polarimetric imagery of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) technology is one of most important advances in space-borne microwave remote sensing during recent decades.

This new edition introduces the fundamentals of passive microwave remote sensing of oceans, including the physical principles of microwave radiometry, novel observational data, their interpretation, and applications. It not only demonstrates and examines the recent advantages and state of the art of microwave data but also provides guidance for explaining complex ocean studies and advanced applications. All chapters are thoroughly updated with detailed analysis of space‐based microwave missions, and a new chapter on space‐based microwave radiometer experiments has been added. This book discusses the power of microwave remote sensing as an efficient tool for diagnostics of ocean phenomena in research and education. Features New to this Edition: • Includes a new chapter and additional data, images, illustrations, and references. • Uses ocean microwave data, acquired from different platforms, to illustrate different methods of analysis and interpretation. • Updates information on recent and important satellite missions dedicated to microwave remote sensing of oceans. • Offers more detailed analysis of multiband microwave data and images. • Provides examples of microwave data that cover different ocean environmental phenomena and hydro‐physical fields, including global and local ocean features. • Presents additional material on advanced applications, including detection capabilities. This book is intended for postgraduate students and professionals working in fields related to remote sensing, geography, oceanography, civil, environmental, and geotechnical engineering.

This resource explains and demonstrates the backscattering properties of multiscale rough surfaces, and illustrates their application to establish the geophysical model function (GMF) needed in wind scatterometry. This book also explains how the mechanisms of backscattering change with frequency and the incident angle on a multiscale surface and how to recognize single scale versus multiscale surfaces – very useful information for those wanting to use backscattering models more efficiently.

Advances during the last two decades in radio electronics, space science and computers have turned remote sensing technology into one of the most effective tools for global exploration and environmental monitoring. This book is a comprehensive account of the theoretical models and techniques required for a full interpretation of the rich images and data that remote sensing can provide. Starting with the basics of vector radiative transfer and scattering theory, the book goes on to develop quantitative methods involving most comprehensive models of discrete scatters, continuous random media and randomly rough surfaces. References are constantly made to real-world parameters and models involved in the probing of different types of geographical terrain. The book is intended as an introductory graduate text and a research reference. It assumes a reasonable foundation in electromagnetism and common techniques in mathematical physics.

Theoretical models developed for simulation of microwave remote sensing of the Earth surface from airborne/spaceborne sensors are described. Theoretical model calculations were performed and the results were compared with data of field measurements. Data studied included polarimetric images at the frequencies of P band, L band, and C band, acquired with airborne polarimeters over a agricultural field test site. Radar polarization signatures from bare soil surfaces and from tree covered fields were obtained from the data. The models developed in this report include: (1) Small perturbation model of wave scatterings from randomly rough surfaces, (2) Physical optics model, (3) Geometrical optics model, and (4) Electromagnetic wave scattering from dielectric cylinders of finite lengths, which replace the trees and branches in the modeling of tree covered field. Additionally, a three-layer emissivity model for passive sensing of a vegetation covered soil surface is also developed. The effects of surface roughness, soil moisture contents, and tree parameters on the polarization signatures were investigated. Mo, Tsan Unspecified Center MICROWAVE IMAGERY; MICROWAVE SCATTERING; MICROWAVE SENSORS; POLARIMETRY; POLARIZATION CHARACTERISTICS; RADAR SCATTERING; RADAR SIGNATURES; REMOTE SENSING; SOIL MOISTURE; SURFACE ROUGHNESS EFFECTS; VEGETATION; AIRBORNE EQUIPMENT; EMISSIVITY; GEOMETRICAL OPTICS; MATHEMATICAL MODELS; MATRIX THEORY; PERTURBATION; PHYSICAL OPTICS; STOKES LAW OF RADIATION...