By the end of this course, students will be able to work with, and perform research based on real or synthetic data from current
and imminent microwave missions (e.g. Sentinel-1, ROSE-L, CIMR, Harmony, Metop ASCAT/SG-SCA) to study processes
relevant in land, ocean and cryosphere applications, in particular processes related to surface-atmosphere interactions.
Microwave dielectric properties of natural materials
Microwave remote sensing of soil and vegetation.
The relation between surface soil moisture, root zone soil moisture and vegetation water content variations and their role in land-
atmosphere exchanges of water, energy and carbon. Modelling the influence of dielectric properties and geometry on emission
and scattering from vegetated surfaces.
Soil moisture estimation from passive and active microwave remote sensing.
Monitoring biomass and vegetation water status using passive and active microwave remote sensing.
Land-atmosphere interactions over ice/snow
The relation between physical snow/firn/ice properties and land/atmosphere interactions for ice
The relation between snow/firn/ice properties and the EM properties in the MW region
Radiative transfer models to translate snow/firn/ice properties into remote sensing signals for both passive/active MW RS
sensors
Retrieval of snow/firn/ice properties from MW RS data
Ocean
The relation between wind, marine boundary layer conditions, and directional surface wave spectra.
Theoretical models relating wave-spectra and the resulting directional roughness to the radar scattering intensities and
microwave emissivity.
Empirical Geophysical Model Functions (GMF) relating surface winds and/or wind stress to radar scattering and Doppler
Retrieval of surface wind and surface wave information using data from radar-scatter meters, Synthetic Aperture Radars, and
microwave radiometers.
Study Goals After completing this module, students will be able to:
1. Explain and describe the relations between surface properties and processes, and observations that can be obtained using
microwave remote sensing.
2. Apply state-of-the-art models and retrieval techniques to simulate microwave observables and retrieve states of interest in
land, ocean and cryosphere applications .
3. Compare different forward modelling or retrieval techniques to estimate variables of interest at the surface
4. Select and defend the choice of a product/technique/model to capture a process relevant in land, ocean and cryosphere
applications
