A MODEL OF VOLUME ATTENUATION AND BACKSCATTERING BY FOLIAGE AT L-BANDS AND P-BANDS

In accordance with the distorted Born approximation, a wave approach i s developed for the volume attenuation and backscattering coefficients associated with the foliage layer in forests at L- and P-bands. Since the foliage layer is not the dominant layer in forest modelling at lo nger wavelengths, the orientations of scatterers are assumed to be uni formly distributed. As a result, the ensemble average electric polariz ability of scatterers becomes isotropic, generating both volume attenu ation and backscattering independent of polarization. It is shown that multiple scattering effects due to both near and far scatterers are i nsignificant. It is demonstrated that the total leaf biomass, the mean leaf volume, leaf shape and the dielectric constant are key parameter s for the model.