Coherent Microwave Scattering from Rough Surface-capped Inhomogeneous Volumes encountered in Land and Maritime Environments

合成孔径雷达(SAR)是一种遥感技术，它发射微波辐射，并使用复杂的计算机算法将记录的地球后向散射聚焦到相应的SAR图像中。这些图像揭示了地球表面及其附近体积层或结构的细节和特征，如雪、植被、人类基础设施、海洋特征、海冰和船只。干涉合成孔径雷达(InSAR)通过比较在同一区域不同时间获取的两幅或多幅SAR图像，得出图像之间的细微变化。合成孔径雷达和干涉合成孔径雷达是海洋监视和环境监测等应用的关键技术。*虽然合成孔径雷达技术、技术和应用取得了巨大的进步，但陆地和海洋环境中主动微波散射的一些基本过程和详细物理仍然没有得到充分的探索和了解。我建议研究主动微波与地表物质(如植被、土壤、海洋和冰雪)相互作用的公开基础研究问题。*1)研究微波如何与具有真实、可变水分分布的裸露土壤相互作用。了解如何从微波信号的强度和延迟中提取土壤参数，如近地表体积湿度和垂直湿度梯度。预期结果对于依赖土壤湿度数据的新的和改进的合成孔径雷达应用将是重要的，在从农业产量预测到扫雷等领域。*2)研究来自地球环境的微波散射如何在不同时间和不同空间特征的采集之间相互关联。这些结果将被用来寻找典型地球环境作为微波特性函数的一般相关模型(InSAR相干性)。预期结果将对InSAR应用产生重要的下游影响，从植被参数恢复到位移时间序列，例如监测滑坡移动和下沉。*3)探索不同波长的微波如何与实际移动的海面相互作用，包括风浪和较大海浪顶部的泡沫。预期的结果将导致新的和改进的海上合成孔径雷达应用，例如船只检测和表征。对海洋背景(杂波)的更好的物理描述将提高我们在高海况下探测较小船只的能力。*我提出了分析描述、计算机模拟和实验室实验的独特组合，以有效地实现所述目标。这一方法将为学术界、空间和信息技术行业以及加拿大航天局和加拿大环境局等政府组织提供培训高素质人才的绝佳机会。

Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) is a remote sensing technique that transmits microwave radiation and focuses the recorded backscatter of the Earth into corresponding SAR images using sophisticated computer algorithms. These images reveal details and characteristics of the Earth's surface and the volume layers or structures close to it, such as snow, vegetation, human infrastructure, ocean features, sea ice, and ships. Interferometric SAR (InSAR) compares two or more SAR images acquired over the same area, but at different times, to derive subtle changes between the images. SAR and InSAR are critical technologies for applications such as maritime surveillance and environmental monitoring.*** While, there have been tremendous advances in SAR technology, techniques, and applications, some of the underlying fundamental processes and detailed physics of active microwave scattering from land and maritime environments remain insufficiently explored and understood. I propose to study open fundamental research questions on the interaction of active microwaves with surface matter such as vegetation, soil, ocean, and ice/ snow. ***1) Investigate how microwaves interact with bare, uncovered soil with realistic, variable moisture distributions. Find how soil parameters such as near surface bulk moisture and vertical moisture gradients can be extracted from the strength and delay of the microwave signal. The anticipated results will be important for new and improved SAR applications that depend on soil moisture data, in areas ranging from agriculture yield prediction to mine field clearance.***2) Study how microwave scatter from Earth environments is correlated between acquisitions at different times and with different spatial characteristics. The results will be used to find a general correlation model (InSAR coherence) for representative Earth environments as a function of microwave properties. The anticipated results will have an important down-stream impact on InSAR applications, ranging from vegetation parameter retrieval to displacement time series e.g. monitoring landslide movement and subsidence.***3) Explore how microwaves of different wavelengths interact with realistic moving ocean surfaces, consisting of wind ripples and foam on top of larger waves. The anticipated results will lead to new and improved maritime SAR applications such as vessel detection and characterization. A better physical description of the ocean background (clutter) will increase our ability to detect smaller vessels in high sea states.*** I propose a unique combination of analytical description, computer simulations, and laboratory experiments to efficiently achieve the stated objectives. This approach will provide excellent opportunities for training highly qualified personnel for academia, space and IT industries, and government organizations such as the Canadian Space Agency and Environment Canada.