School of Geography  

2004/2005
University of Leeds Level 2
Louise Mackay

EARTH OBSERVATION AND GIS OF THE PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT – GEOG2750

Week 8

Lecture 7: Principles of Microwave Earth Observation

Aims: This lecture aims to introduce you to the key basic concepts of how microwave
images are acquired of the Earth’s surface. It covers briefly on passive microwave
remote sensing and then focuses on the key concepts of how active microwave images
are acquired, particularly Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) images. Topics covered
included the geometry of image acquisition, issues over the different spatial
resolutions of active microwave images and the different forms of signal recorded by
active remote sensing devices.

Lecture 7 consists of the following topics:

1. Introduction to Microwave Electromagnetic Radiation.

2. Principles of Passive Microwave Remote Sensing.

3. Principles of Active Microwave Remote Sensing – Synthetic Aperture Radar

(SAR)

4. Conclusion.

Work through each of the main topics in order. A reading list is supplied at the end of
the content or can be accessed at http://lib5.leeds.ac.uk/rlists/geog/geog2750.htm.

Begin Lecture 7 here

Introduction to Microwave Electromagnetic Radiation

Previously we have focused on the use of optical multispectral images for Earth
observation. However, multispectral images of the reflectance of the Earth's surface
are influenced by the Earth’s atmosphere which attenuates and adds to surface
radiance. In the presence of clouds the atmosphere is opaque to solar EMR.
Alternatively, microwave electromagnetic radiation can penetrate the Earth’s
atmosphere. Microwave EMR penetrates the atmosphere and is not influenced by
cloud cover, haze and dust. Microwave wavelengths are less prone to atmospheric
scattering which affects optical wavelengths, however, microwave EMR can be
influenced by very heavy rainfall.

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Note: As microwave images can be acquired under nearly all weather conditions they
are an attractive means by which to study the Earth’s surface. In this lecture you will
be introduced to microwave images as an alternative to optical images for Earth
observation.

The microwave portion of the electromagnetic spectrum ranges from 1mm through to
1m – this would be considered a large wavelength range. Remember the diagram of
the EM spectrum from your first lecture (Figure 1 below), you can compare the
microwave and optical regions.

Figure 1: The electromagnetic spectrum (Lillesand T.M. and Kiefer R.W., 2000.
Remote Sensing and Image Interpretation. Wiley (Chichester). p4).

Different wavelengths within this microwave range are employed depending on the
type of microwave Earth observation being conducted.

There are two main types of microwave Earth observation: Passive and Active.

Passive: This type of microwave Earth observation records the naturally occurring
microwave electrometric radiation of the Earth’s surface and atmosphere. This type is
not commonly employed in Earth surface studies so we will only be covering an
introduction to this type of microwave sensing.

Active: Active sensors provide their own microwave radiation to illuminate the target.
This has become a very popular means by which to acquire data about the Earth’s
surface and will be our focus over the next two lectures.

Principles of Passive Microwave Remote Sensing

Passive microwave Earth observation senses the naturally occurring microwave

electromagnetic radiation – both from the surface and atmosphere. It uses
wavelengths of between 0.15cm-30cm. Unfortunately at these wavelengths the
electromagnetic radiation emitted has a low radiant exitance so a large sensor
instantaneous field of view is required in order to record emitted energy. Due to this
passive sensors have very low spatial resolutions (kilometres) - this is one of their
main disadvantages.

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Figure 2 below illustrates the variety of ways microwave radiation is emitted and
hence can be recorded by passive sensors.

Figure 2: An illustration of the atmosphere, surface, object and sub-surface

contributions to microwave radiation.

Passive Earth observation has numerous applications, for instance:

- Global surface brightness temperature.

- Geological mapping applications.
- Soil studies – soil temperature, soil moisture.
- Outside surface studies – oceanography, atmospheric sciences.

In Figure 3 below we can see an example of one such product produced from passive
microwave data. In this instance NOAA 16 data has been used to produce a global
composite of surface brightness temperatures.

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For Figure 3 above see http://pm-esip.msfc.nasa.gov/amsu/index.phtml.

As we are just covering passive sensing briefly refer to your reading for a more
detailed description of passive microwave sensing.

Principles of Active Microwave Remote Sensing – Synthetic Aperture

Radar (SAR)

Active microwave Earth observation is also known as RADAR (RAdio Detection

And Ranging). This type of microwave imaging is termed active because they
transmit there own microwave energy (pulses) at a particular wavelength (single
frequency) for a particular duration of time - known as pulsed coherent radar, as
illustrated in Figure 4.

Figure 4: An illustration of the transmitted pulse and its backscatter return in an active
system.

Active radar sensors record the intensity of the transmitted microwave energy
backscattered to the sensor. The most common form of active microwave radar
sensors used are called Synthetic Aperture Radars (SAR).

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Active microwave wavelengths tend to be divided into typical wavelength regions or
bands:

P-band = 30-100cm = 1.0-0.3 GHz.

L-band = 15-30cm = 2.0-1.0 GHz.
S-band = 7.50-15cm = 4.0-2.0 GHz.
C-band = 3.9-7.50cm = 8.0-4.0 GHz.
X-band = 2.40-3.75cm = 12.5-8.0 GHz.
K-band(s) = 0.75-2.40cm = 40-12.5 GHz (rarely employed).

Note: in active sensors frequency (in Hertz) can also be used to describe a band range.

Note: satellite active microwave sensors acquire images for only a single
wavelength/frequency. They do not acquire multispectral microwave images.
However, recent airborne sensors can acquire multi-frequency images – for example
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory AIRSAR system; C, L and P-band.

Figure 5 (below) summarises the geometry of active microwave imaging.

Figure 5: The geometry of an active microwave system.

In Figure 5 we can see that the active sensor is a side-looking one where the
microwave active pulse and image swath subtends from the sensor in the range
direction (perpendicular to the sensor's azimuth flight direction). In this instance
azimuth pertains to a flight direction relative to 0 degrees North. The swath of an
active sensor has a geometry which is related to the flying height of the sensor (from
nadir) and the angles of depression of the swath edge closest to the sensor (near
range) and the swath edge furthest from the sensor (far range) in the range look

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direction. Similarly the swath edges have associated near range and far range
incidence angles.

In active microwave imaging energy is

transmitted from an antenna for a
short time period (microseconds), see
Figure 6 to the right. The energy
moves radially outwards for a time
period, until it interacts with an object.
The antenna is then switched from
emit to receive mode. Some
proportion of the microwave energy is
scattered back towards the antenna
which records the intensity of the
returned microwave energy and the 2-
way travel time.

Synthetic Aperture Radar

Synthetic aperture systems employ a

short antenna BUT simulate a very
long one (up to 100m) to attain high
spatial resolution images. This form
of imaging works by using the fact
that the sensor is moving relative to
the target (Figure 7 right). This
introduces changes in the frequency
of the microwave energy backscatter
from a target depending where on
the sensor azimuth path a target is
illuminated. These changes in
frequency can be used to synthesize
multiple returns for an object
acquired at different locations on the
azimuth path to form a single
backscatter image.

Synthetic aperture radar azimuth resolution depends on: the angular beam width of the
antenna and the Doppler effect. Unlike real aperture systems (Figure 8) SAR systems
have no dependence on ground range distance. Synthetic aperture radar images have a
constant azimuth spatial resolution in the range direction (Figure 9) and have higher
azimuth spatial resolutions.

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Figure 8: Real aperture spatial resolution Figure 9: SAR spatial resolution

Synthetic aperture radar slant range

(across-track) resolution depends on: the
duration of the microwave pulse and the
depression angle of any slant range point
on the swath. Note: Longer pulses mean
lower range spatial resolution and ground
range resolution varies inversely with the
depression angle. In principle larger
depression angles = lower spatial
resolution. For example in Figure 10 to
the right range resolution for A will be
better than for B for the same pulse
duration. For pulse duration of 0.1
milliseconds and A=40 and B=65 degrees
the range resolutions will be: A =
19.58m, and B = 35.5m.

In synthetic aperture radar imaging slant-range scale distortion occurs. This is because
SAR sensors are side looking images varying in scale in the slant range. This
distortion (look at Figure 11 below) needs to be corrected in order to get the true
ground range distance between features and their true ground range extent. In this
particular image this type of distortion is clearer in the bottom left-hand corner, where
the dark line (a road) has an unnatural curvature.

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 Figure 11

Look at the same scene in Figure 12 when the slant-range scale distortion has been
corrected. Note how the once curved road in the bottom left-hand corner is now
straighter.

Figure 12

Action point: using the internet, library references and the reading list, make a list of
Synthetic Aperture Radar systems currently used in microwave sensing. Add a link to
an Earth observation project using SAR data to the Nathan Bodington discussion
board. This will help to understand the types of applications that SAR data are used
for.

What do SAR Sensors Record?

For any illuminated location SAR sensors record the intensity (amplitude) of the
microwave energy returned to the sensor: this is termed the backscattering cross
section which is proportional to the incident and returned intensities:

This is often also quoted logarithmically in dB:

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SAR sensors also record changes in polarization. SAR sensors emit microwave
energy where the electric field is orientated (polarized) either horizontally (H) or
vertically (V) (see Figure 13 below). Some SAR sensors can record the changes that
occur in the polarization of microwave energy which potentially provides different
information about targets. A SAR sensor can be characterised by one of four possible
polarizations:

HH - for horizontal
transmit and horizontal
receive,
VV - for vertical transmit
and vertical receive,
HV - for horizontal
transmit and vertical
receive, and
VH - for vertical transmit
and horizontal receive.

Conclusion

One key advantage of microwave sensors to that of optical sensors is that they are not
affected by the atmosphere. Of the two forms of microwave Earth observation
(passive and active) active sensing, which creates its own source of microwave
energy, is the most commonly employed. This type of sensor records the backscatter
returned from the surface to the sensor. Understanding the key basic principles of how
active microwave images are acquired, particularly SAR, is important as this has a
significant influence on the images produced and in turn influences how we interpret
them. Next week we will build upon this lecture to move towards understanding
active microwave images, particular SAR images.

Why is this lecture important?

This lecture provides a basis for the material covered in Lecture 8, which covers how
active SAR microwave images of the Earth's surface can be interpreted and discusses
how different aspects of the image acquisition process influences the signal recorded
by active SAR sensors.

Reading list:

As this lecture aims to provide you will the key basic concepts of how microwave
images are acquired you should read one of the following general introductions to
active microwave image acquisition to support the material covered in the lecture:

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 1. Campbell, J.B., 1996. Introduction to Remote Sensing. Taylor and Francis
(London). Chapter 7, pages 201-220; or
2. Lillesand, T.M., and Kiefer, R.W., 2000. Remote Sensing and Image
Interpretation. John Wiley and Sons (Chichester). Chapter 8, pages 616-632.

Additionally, the Canadian Centre for Remote Sensing has an excellent on-line
tutorial covering the basic concepts involved in active microwave image acquisition.
The URL for this is:

http://www.ccrs.nrcan.gc.ca/ccrs/learn/tutorials/stereosc/chap5/chapter5_1_e.html.

NOTE: access the practical session 7 handout at the beginning of Week 9 from the
Nathan Bodington Geog2750 practical material room prior to the Week 9 timetabled
practical class. You can download the practical handout to your ISS folder, keep your
downloaded practical handout document open or print off a copy for the practical
session.

Content developer: Louise Mackay, School of Geography, University of Leeds.

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