An electromagnetic scattering model for multiple tree trunks above a tilted rough ground plane

An efficient and complete electromagnetic scattering model for multiple tree trunks above the ground is presented. The individual trunks are modeled by finite-length stratified cylinders, with an external corrugated bark layer. The ground is modeled by a dielectric half space underneath the cylinders, with a slightly rough interface. The spatial distribution of the cylinders is random over an elliptic illuminated area, and their lengths follow a Gaussian distribution. Moreover, cylinders are randomly oriented with a variable degree of noncolinearity, and the ground can have an arbitrary orientation. The scattering results provided in this paper consider the summation of all scattered fields from the trunk-ground sets as a response to the incident field. Results have been computed for the mean square error of the bistatic scattering pattern, by means of a Monte Carlo simulation. The computed patterns are highly dependent on the geometry of the problem (lengths and radii of the trunks, tilting, surface roughness, incidence, and observation angles). The variability of the involved random parameters produces softening effects and an increased cross-polarized signal. Moreover, results are very sensitive to the dielectric characteristics of the trunks. As a result, the method can be useful in the interpretation of remote-sensing measurements from vegetation and in the development of classification schemes.