Microwave backscatter and attenuation dependence on leaf area index for flooded rice fields

As part of an effort to determine whether radar is suitable for wetland vegetation monitoring the authors have studied the dependence of microwave backscatter and attenuation on leaf area index (LAI) for flooded rice fields. They find that the radar return from a flooded rice field does show dependence on LAI. In particular, the C-band VV cross section per unit area decreases with increasing LAI. A simple model for scattering from rice fields is derived and fit to the observed HH and VV data. The model fit provides insight into the relation of backscatter to LAI and is also used to calculate the canopy path attenuation as a function of LAI