Modeling considerations of EM scattering from soil and leaves in the optical and microwave regions

In modeling of electromagnetic (EM) interaction with terrain one must first examine the geometry of the scatterers relative to the incident wavelength and the electromagnetic properties of the terrain in the frequency region of interest. The purpose of this study is to examine the similarities and differences in developing scattering models for soil and leaves in the optical and microwave regions. For interpretation of remotely sensed data, the scattering model should be a function of geometric and EM parameters which in turn may depend on other physical, biological and physiological parameters of interest. The authors discuss the anticipated sources of scattering, the absorption properties that are known and the geometry of the scattering problem appropriate for each frequency region.<>