Soil moisture detection using KOMPSAT-5 SAR data

The applicability of the KOMPSAT-5 (Korea Multi-Purpose Satellite-5) SAR on soil moisture detection is addressed in this paper. At first, the penetration into and reflection from bare soil surfaces at X-band are compared with those at L-band for homogeneous and inhomogeneous moisture profiles. The sensitivities of the X-band radar backscatter on soil moisture are examined for rough bare soil surfaces. Then the sensitivities of the X-band radar backscatter on the soil moisture of vegetated surfaces are also examined for various vegetation densities and incidence angles. The applicability of an X-band radar for soil moisture detection may be as good as L-band radar for bare soil surfaces. For vegetated surfaces, the soil moisture can be detected using an X-band radar at lower incidence angles, where the upper limit of the incidence angles depends on vegetation density.