• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.15-23
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• 2014

We present preliminary observations of the field-aligned-irregularities (FAIs) in the E and F regions during the solar minimum (2009 - 2010) using the 40.8 MHz coherent backscatter radar at Daejeon ($36.18^{\circ}N$, $127.14^{\circ}E$, $26.7^{\circ}N$ dip latitude) in South Korea. The radar, which consists of 24 Yagi antennas, observes the FAIs using a single beam with a peak power of 24 kW. The radar has been continuously operated since December 2009. Depending on the manner of occurrence of the backscatter echoes, the E-region echoes are largely divided into two types: quasi-periodic (QP) and continuous echoes. Our observations show that the QP echoes occur frequently above an altitude of 105 km in the post-sunset period and continuous echoes occur preferentially around an altitude of 105 km in the post-sunrise period. QP echoes appear as striated discrete echoes for a period of about 10 - 20 min. The QP-type echoes occur more frequently than the continuous-type echoes do and the echo intensity of the QP type is stronger than that of the continuous type. In the F region, the FAIs occur at night at an altitude interval of 250 - 450 km. As time proceeds, the occurrence height of the FAIs gradually increases until early in the morning and then decreases. The duration of the F-region FAIs is typically a few hours at night, although, in rare cases, FAIs persist throughout the night or appear even after sunrise. We discuss the similarities and differences of the FAIs observed by the Daejeon radar in comparison with other radar observations.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.535-544
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• 2020

In synthetic aperture radar (SAR) based ship detection application, false alarms frequently occur due to various noises caused by the radar imaging process. Among them, radio frequency interference (RFI) and azimuth smearing produce substantial false alarms; the latter also yields longer length estimation of ships than the true length. These two noises are prominent at cross-polarization and relatively weak at co-polarization. However, in general, the cross-polarization data are suitable for ship detection, because the radar backscatter from background sea surface is much less in comparison with the co-polarization backscatter, i.e., higher ship-sea image contrast. In order to improve the ship detection accuracy further, the RFI and azimuth smearing need to be mitigated. In the present letter, Sentinel-1 VV- and VH-polarization intensity data are used to show a novel technique of removing these noises. In this method, median image intensities of noises and background sea surface are calculated to yield arithmetic tendency. A band-math formula is then designed to replace the intensities of noise pixels in VH-polarization with adjusted VV-polarization intensity pixels that are less affected by the noises. To verify the proposed method, the adaptive threshold method (ATM) with a sliding window was used for ship detection, and the results showed that the 74.39% of RFI false alarms are removed and 92.27% false alarms of azimuth smearing are removed.

• The Journal of Korean Institute of Electromagnetic Engineering and Science
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• v.17 no.9 s.112
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• pp.804-810
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• 2006

In this paper, we describe a measurement technique for the backscattering coefficient and ground truth of a vegetation canopy in detail. A simple microwave backscattering model for vegetation canopies is verified by being compared with this measurement. An R-band$(1.7\sim2.0GHz)$ scatterometer system is used to measure the backscattering coefficient of a vegetated area in the Han-river park for various incidence angles and a wide range of the soil moisture contents. It is found that the model agrees quite well with the measurements for co-polarized radar backscatter, and needs a correction for cross polarized radar backscatter.

• Proceedings of the KSRS Conference
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• v.1
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• pp.520-523
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• 2006

Whereas it is well known that the surface roughness parameters, the RMS height and the correlation length, of a natural soil surface are underestimated with a short surface profile, it is not clear how much the underestimated surface parameters affect the backscattering coefficients of the surface for various incidence angles and polarizations. The backscattering coefficients of simulated and measured surface profiles are computed using the integral equation method (IEM) and analyzed in this paper to answer this question. It is shown that the RMS error of the backscattering coefficients between 5-m- and 1-m-long measured surface profiles is 1.7 dB for vv-polarization and 0.5 dB for hh-polarization at a medium range of incidence angle ($15^{\circ}{\leq}{\theta}{\leq}70^{\circ}$), while the surface roughness parameters are significantly reduced; from 2.4 cm to 1.5 cm for the RMS height s and from 35.1 cm to 10.0 cm for the autocorrelation length l. This result is verified with numerous simulations with various roughness conditions and various wavelengths.

• Proceedings of the KSRS Conference
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• 2003.11a
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• pp.37-37
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• 2003

Rice is one of the most important crop in the world and is a major export of Thailand. Optical sensors are not useful for rice monitoring, because most cultivated areas are often obscured by cloud during the growing period, especially in South East Asia. Spaceborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) such as RADARSAT, can see through regardless of weather condition which make it possible to monitor rice growth and to retrieve rice acreage, using the unique temporal signature of rice fields. This paper presents the result of a study of examining the backscatter behavior of rice using multi-temporal RADARSAT dataset. Ground measurements of paddy parameters and water and soil condition were collected. The ground truth information was also used to identify mature rice crops, orchard, road, residence, and aquaculture ponds. Land use class distributions from the RADARSAT image were analyzed. Comparison of the mean DB of each land use class indicated significant differences. Schematic representation of temporal backscatter of rice crop were plotted. Based on the study carried out in Pathum Thani Province test site, the results showed variation of sigma naught from first tillering vegatative phase until ripenning phase. It is suggested that at least, three radar data acquisitions taken at 3 stages of rice growth circle namely; those are at the beginning of rice growth when the field is still covered with water, in the ear differentiation period, and at the beginning of the harvest season, are required for rice monitoring. This pilot project was an experimental one aiming at future operational rice monitoring and potential yield predicttion.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.89-102
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• 1987

Microwave remote sensing plays a major role in areas where cloud cover and darkness prevail. In this and the next paper, models are described for the radar backscatter from two major types of sea ice in an attempt to specify optimum sensor parameters and to allow the most reliable image interpretation possible. Here, the physical-optics model using an exponential correlation function is shown to be able to presict the signatures of first-year ice under cold conditions. The effect of volume scattering by small inclusions in the first-year ics is shown to be negligible using a semi-empirical volume scattering model.

• Spatial Information Research
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.27-33
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• 2014

Considering the wide coverage, the transparency from climate condition, Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) possesses a great potential for the landcover classification as shown in many precedent researches. In addition to the merits of InSAR products for the landcover classification, the time series analysis of InSAR pairs can provide a highly reliable basis to interpret landcover. We applied such idea with the test site in Mountain Baekdu located on the border between North Korea and China. Since it is recently noted as the potential volcanic activation site, the landcover especially the vegetation distribution information is highly essential to validate the reliability of Differential Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (DInSAR) over Mt. Baekdu. The algorithms combining the auxiliary information from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) to analyze the phase coherence and backscatter coefficient of Observing Satellite (ALOS) Phased Array type L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (PALSAR) was established. The results using InSAR signatures from two polarization modes of ALOS PALSAR showed high reliability for mining landcover and spatial distribution.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.297-304
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• 2010

Since the change in Doppler centroid according to moving targets brings alteration to the phase in azimuth differential signals of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data, one can measure the velocity of the moving targets using this effect. In this study, we will investigate theoretically measuring the velocity of an object from azimuth differential signals by using range compressed data which is the interim outcome of treatment from the simulated SAR raw data of moving targets on the background of sea clutter. Also, it will provide evaluation for the elements that affect the estimation error of velocity from a single SAR sensor. By making RADARSAT-1 simulated image as a specific case, the research includes comparisons for the means of velocity measurement classified by the directions of movement in the four following cases. 1. A case of a single target without currents, 2. A case of a single target with tidal currents of 0.5 m/s, 1 m/s, and 3 m/s, 3. A case of two targets on a same azimuth line moving in a same direction and velocity, 4. A case of a single target contiguous to land where radar backscatter is strong. As a result, when two moving targets exist in SAR image outside the range of approximately 256 pixels, the velocity of the object can be measured with high accuracy. However, when other moving targets exist in the range of approximately 128 pixels or when the target was contiguous to the land of strong backscatter coefficient (NRCS: normalized radar cross section), the estimated velocity was in error by 10% at the maximum. This is because in the process of assuming the target's location, an error occurs due to the differential signals affected by other scatterers.

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.135-143
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• 2021

We report, for the first time, the afternoon (i.e., from noon to sunset time) observations of the northern mid-latitude E-region field-aligned irregularities (FAIs) made by the very high frequency (VHF) coherent backscatter radar operated continuously since 29 December 2009 at Daejeon (36.18°N, 127.14°E, 26.7°N dip latitude) in South Korea. We present the statistical characteristics of the mid-latitude afternoon E-region FAIs based on the continuous radar observations. Echo signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the afternoon E-region FAIs is found to be as high as 35 dB, mostly occurring around 100-135 km altitudes. Most spectral widths of the afternoon echoes are close to zero, indicating that the irregularities during the afternoon time are not related to turbulent plasma motions. The occurrence of afternoon E-regional FAI is observed with significant seasonal variation, with a maximum in summer and a minimum in winter. Furthermore, to investigate the afternoon E-region FAIs-Sporadic E (E_s) relationship, the FAIs have also been compared with E_s parameters based on observations made from an ionosonde located at Icheon (37.14°N, 127.54°E, 27.7°N dip latitude), which is 100 km north of Daejeon. The virtual height of E_s (h'E_s) is mainly in the height range of 105 km to 110 km, which is 5 km to 10 km greater than the bottom of the FAI. There is no relationship between the FAI SNR and the highest frequencies (f_tE_s) (or blanket frequencies (f_bE_s)). SNR of FAIs, however, is found to be related well with (f_tE_s-f_bE_s).

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.1-14
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• 2001

The enhancement of the refractive index structure parameter $C_n^2$ often occurs where vertical gradients of virtual potential temperature ${\theta}_v$ and mixing ratio q have their maximum values. The $C_n^2$ can be a very useful parameter for estimating the convective boundary layer(CBL) height. The behavior of $C_n^2$ peaks, often used to locate the height of mixed layer, was investigated in the present study. In addition, a new method to determine the CBL height objectively using both $C_n^2$ and vertical air velocity variance ${\sigma}_w$ data of UHF radar was also suggested. The present analysis showed that the $C_n^2$ peaks in the backscatter intensity profiles often occurred not only at the top of the CBL but also at the top of a residual layer or at a cloud layer. The $C_n^2$ peaks corresponding to the CBL heights were slightly lower than the CBL heights derived from rawinsonde sounding data when vertical mixing owing to weak solar heating was not significant and the height of strong vertical ${\theta}_v$ gradients were not consistent with that of strong vertical q gradients. However, the $C_n^2$ peaks corresponding to the CBL heights were in good agreement with the rawinsonde-estimated CBL hegiths when vertical mixing owing to solar heating was significant and the vertical gradient of both ${\theta}_v$ and q in the entrainment zone was very strong. The maximum backscatter intensity method, which determines the height of $C_n^2$ peak as the CBL height, correctly estimated the CBL height when the $C_n^2$ profile had single peak, but this method erroneously estimated the CBL height when there was a residual layer or a cloud layer over the top of the CBL. The new method distinguished when there the CBL height from the peak due a cloud layer or a residual layer using both $C_n^2$ and ${\sigma}_w$ data, and correctly estimated the CBL height. As for estimation of diurnal variation of the CBL height, the new method backscatter intensity method even if the vertical profile of backscatter intensity had two peaks from the CBL height and a residual layer or a cloud layer.