Estimating crop and waveband specific water cloud model parameters using a theoretical backscatter model

Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data are useful for monitoring various biophysical properties, and backscatter models are required to extract such information. The semi-empirical water cloud model is traditionally formulated using four parameters fitted using in situ data. The model becomes more accurate through the use of crop and soil specific values of these parameters, estimated using a robust theoretical second-order backscatter model. Methods are introduced in this letter for generating two of the four parameters specific to C-band data to enable greater transportability of the model.