Broadband Full Polarimetric Scatterometry for Monitoring Soil Moisture and Vegetation Properties Over a Tibetan Meadow

A scatterometer is installed on a meadow over the Tibetan Plateau in August 2017 to measure the full polarimetric backscattering coefficient σ
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over a wide frequency range (1 - 10 GHz) year-round. In this paper we describe the setup of scatterometer as well as the activities undertaken to test the reliability of the system. The measured radar cross section of a dihedral reflector matches the theoretical model for 3 - 10 GHz after the calibration. The temperature-induced systematic error in the radar return will be accounted for by using the antenna cross coupling as a reference. For the retrieval of σ
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the frequency-dependent antenna radiation pattern and the site geometry are accounted for. Fading will be dealt with by using frequency agility techniques.