INTERPRETATION AND MODEL ANALYSIS OF MAESTRO-1 FLEVOLAND DATA

A model, based on the Radiative Transfer Theory and the Matrix Doubling algorithm, is tested with agricultural and forest radar returns measured by the JPL AIRSAR sensor over the Flevoland site (The Netherlands) at P, L and C bands. The test is generally valid, although some discrepancies are noted in the absolute P band values of sigma(0) and not all the input parameters were obtainable from ground measurements. The model is also used to interpret the experimental results and to estimate the relative importance of the different scattering contributions.