Remote Sensing by Radar

Abstract

This article describes the basic principles of radar remote sensing for scientific purposes. In addition, it provides several examples of the radar remote sensing instrument. Scientific remote sensing radar includes synthetic aperture radar (SAR), radar altimeter, scatterometer, meteorological radars, and radar sounder. A radar transmits an electromagnetic signal and receives a reflected echo from illuminated objects. From the received signal, useful information on the illuminated objects can be extracted for various applications. Examples of geophysical quantities that remote sensing radars can measure are land topography, surface deformation, biomass, soil moisture, ocean surface topography, ocean vector winds, cloud, precipitation, and subsurface layers. A radar is capable of collecting remote sensing data under almost all weather conditions, day or night.

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