A Perspective on Radar Remote Sensing of Soil Moisture

The sensitivity of microwave scattering to the dielectric properties and the geometric structure of soil surfaces makes radar remote sensing a challenge for a wide range of environmental issues directly related to the condition of natural surfaces. Especially, the potential for retrieving soil moisture with a high spatial and/or temporal resolution represents a significant contribution to hydrological and ecological modeling. This paper aims to review the current state of the art in SAR technology and methodological issues towards the discovery of a new potential accurate monitoring of soil moisture changes. In this paper, important parameters or constraints significantly affect the sensitivity of the measurements to soil moisture, such as roughness statistics, spatial resolution, and local topography, are discussed to improve the applicability of SAR remote sensing techniques. This study particularly intends to discuss important notes for developing smart and reliable methods capable of retrieving geophysical information.