Radiative transfer of snowpack/vegetation canopy at the SSM/I channels and satellite data analysis

Vector radiative transfer (VRT) at the DMSP SSM/I (Special Sensor Microwave Imager) channels (from 19 to 85 GHz) for multilayer of discrete scatterers as a model of snowpaek/vegetation canopy is developed. Using the physical optics approximation, the scattering, extinction coefficients, and phase function of VRT equation for vegetation canopy are derived. The dense medium VRT is applied to the snow layer. Numerical results of two coupled VRT equations simulate scattering and emission signature from snowpack/vegetation canopy at SSM/I channels. Numerical results are applied to simulation and analysis of the SSM/I observations over Chinaʹs northeast forest and Tibet Naqu pasture areas.