Comparative study of temporal decorrelation at P, L and C-bands: first insights from the tropiscat-2 experiment

Essebtey Salma El Idrissi (1, 2) , Ludovic Villard (2) , Pierre Borderies (1) , Thierry Koleck (2) , Benoît Burban (3) , Thuy Le Toan (2)

1 DEMR, ONERA, Université de Toulouse [Toulouse]
2 CESBIO - Centre d'études spatiales de la biosphère
3 UMR ECOFOG - Ecologie des forêts de Guyane

Following the past TropiScat and AfriScat tower-based scatterometer experiments conducted as part of the European Space Agency (ESA) BIOMASS mission preparation activities, a follow-up experiment referred to as TropiScat-2 has been undertaken since March 2018 in French Guiana. The main objectives of this new campaign consist in extending the previous time series at P and L bands, and also in investigating the possible synergies between P, L and C-band measurements thanks to the quasi-simultaneous multi-frequency acquisitions provided by the new instrument. In this paper, the differences between temporal decorrelation at P, L and C-bands are specifically analyzed based on a 67-day time series dating back to early August 2018. This study confirms previous results conducted at P and L-bands, with a specific focus here on the importance of the diurnal cycles and on the updated acquisition scenarios for the upcoming BIOMASS mission. Interestingly, this study also reveals the diurnal cycles at C-band, although the coherence values are much lower than those at P and L-bands. In addition to enhancing scientific insights regarding our understanding of microwave interactions, this study provides key figures for the design of new satellite missions.

Mots clés: TEMPORAL DECORRELATION; P; L; C-BANDS; TIME SERIES; TOWER-BASED SCATTEROMETER; TROPICAL DENSE FORESTS

Mots clés: DECORRELATION TEMPORELLE; BANDES P L ET C; SERIES TEMPORELLES; DIFFUSIOMETRE SUR TOUR; FORETS TROPICALES DENSES

Domaines: Sciences de l'ingénieur [physics]; Physique [physics]

Essebtey Salma El Idrissi, Ludovic Villard, Pierre Borderies, Thierry Koleck, Benoît Burban, et al.. Comparative study of temporal decorrelation at P, L and C-bands: first insights from the tropiscat-2 experiment. Mediterranean and Middle-East Geoscience and Remote Sensing (M2GARSS), Mar 2020, Tunis, Tunisia. ⟨10.1109/M2GARSS47143.2020.9105253⟩. ⟨hal-02917413⟩