A rough-surface scattering function for Titan radar studies

[1] Numerous studies show a relationship between radar backscattering and surface roughness. While estimating the statistical properties of small-scale topography is of particular interest for geologic analysis of Cassini radar data, there is no analytic description of radar scattering over a wide range of incidence angles and roughness. This paper presents an empirical function that links the rms slope at the horizontal scale of the wavelength and HHor VVpolarization radar echoes. The model is based on comparison of 24-cm wavelength AIRSAR data for lava flows in Hawai’i, at incidence angles of 25 to 55 , with topographic profiles at 25-cm posting. Comparison of model predictions to the range of observed Titan echoes suggests that the radar return is often dominated by a component arising from subsurface scattering. Citation: Campbell, B. A. (2007), A rough-surface scattering function for Titan radar studies, Geophys. Res. Lett., 34, L14203, doi:10.1029/2007GL030442.