Abstract
WBSCAT is a polarimetric scatterometer developed for the European Space Agency for measuring microwave signatures of snow in support of the SnowLab and SnowLab-NG projects. SnowLab-NG includes feasibility studies for ESA candidate satellite missions operating at L-Band such as ROSE-L and Hydroterra. The WBSCAT instrument is based on a vector network analyzer to cover the 1–40 GHz frequency range, including L-Band. Using ground-based data collected in the near-field to model data collected by satellites is challenging when there is volume scattering from a thick layer such as snowpack. WBSCAT has been constructed to use near-field aperture synthesis to permit focusing of backscatter data. Focusing mitigates the effects of near-field operation by synthesizing a narrow antenna beam that illuminates a smaller volume of the snowpack. Using aperture synthesis, an improvement in azimuth resolution by a factor of 6 is possible with WBSCAT at L-band. Initial results from phase calibration of a calibration target response show the potential for this approach. Show more
Publication status
publishedExternal links
Book title
2021 IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium IGARSSPages / Article No.
Publisher
IEEEEvent
Subject
WBScat; Wide-band Scatterometer; ESA; European Space Agency; Snow; ESA snowlab; Wideband scatterometer; Microwave scatterometer; Aperture synthesis; Time series; Polarimetry; Tomography; SAR TomographyOrganisational unit
08704 - SAR Remote Sensing Technology / SAR Remote Sensing Technology
Notes
Conference lecture held on July 16, 2021.More
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