Soil moisture estimation of bare and vegetation-covered areas using a P/L/C-band SAR

Abstract: The paper introduces a novel approach for estimating soil moisture in vegetated surfaces, specifically focusing on sugarcane crops throughout various growth stages in agriculture applications. While existing models typically address bare soil scenarios, this model utilizes data from P-, L-, and C-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) to estimate soil moisture. The semi-empirical Dubois model forms the basis of the proposed model, which has been adapted to accommodate multiband operation and crop height variations. Synthetic datasets are generated using the adjusted model to train two neural networks incorporated into the overall model. Additionally, a linear expression for estimating crop height is integrated into the model. The model is validated in an Experimental Site at the School of Agricultural Engineering, UNICAMP, and an independent area at the Sugarcane Technology Center in Piracicaba, Brazil. The model utilizes a multiband drone-borne SAR system with a 3-meter image resolution and radiometric accuracy of 0.5 dB. The results indicate that the model can estimate soil moisture with root-mean-square errors of 0.05 cm3.cm-3 (5 vol. %) across crop heights ranging from zero to 2.5 meters.