SARSense: Analyzing air- and space-borne C- and L-band SAR backscattering signals to changes in soil and plant parameters of crops

Abstract

The upcoming launch of the L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite mission Radar Observing System for Europe L-band SAR (ROSE-L) will enable multi-frequency SAR observations when combined with existing C-band satellite missions (e.g., Sentinel-1). Due to the different penetration depths of the SAR signals, multi-frequency SAR offers great potential for field-scale agricultural monitoring and the estimation of soil and plant parameters. The SARSense campaign, conducted between June and August 2019 at the Selhausen agricultural test site near Jülich, Germany, has yielded a comprehensive dataset that includes both air- and space-borne C- and L-band SAR data, extensive in-situ field measurements of soil and plant parameters as well as unmanned aerial systems (UAS)-based multispectral and thermal infrared measurements and cosmic neutron sensing observations. The study provides both, an insight into the strengths and limitations of the acquired dataset as well as an analysis of the different behaviour of C- and L-band backscattering on changing soil moisture and plant parameters for taproot crops and cereals.