Analysis of the Double-Bounce Interaction between a Random Volume and an Underlying Ground, Using a Controlled High-Resolution PolTomoSAR Experiment

The radar response of vegetated environments, and forested areas in particular, are usually modeled using a very simple structure made random volume, representing cloud vegetation particles, lying over semi-infinite medium with rough interface, associated the underlying ground. This Random Volume Ground model can efficiently handle double-bounce scattering mechanisms, or arbitrary volume reflectivity profiles. paper proposes to analyze specific component simplified model, which concerns interaction between ground volume. contribution is not considered by classical characterization techniques studied this work controlled experiment involving Synthetic Aperture Radar operated Polarimetric Tomographic configuration order image 3D miniaturized scene composed It shown that ground/volume scattering, remains focused at level even imaging mode, has polarimetric patterns differ largely from those expected reflections, volume-like features, such as strong cross-polarized decorrelation co-polarized channels. Moreover, it full rank ground-volume mechanism tightly linked may mask response. As consequence, isolating does permit avoid generally distortion soil reflection, estimation different geophysical parameters ground, its humidity roughness significantly altered.