Secondary-scale surface roughness parameterization using terrestrial LiDAR

• Published in: 2015 IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium (IGARSS)
• Main Authors: Landy, J. C., Komarov, A. S., Barber, D. G.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 2015
• Subjects: Geophysical measurements; laser applications; numerical modelling; parameter estimation; sea ice; surface roughness; Sea ice
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/1983/badaaa4d-d08d-408c-8781-a7b01c281bff; https://research-information.bris.ac.uk/en/publications/badaaa4d-d08d-408c-8781-a7b01c281bff; https://doi.org/10.1109/IGARSS.2015.7326208; http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84962563258&partnerID=8YFLogxK

The centimeter-scale roughness of natural surfaces, such as soil and sea ice, influences both microwave scattering and turbulent exchanges of heat and momentum between the surface and atmosphere. In this paper, we present a technique for determining surface roughness parameters from high-resolution terrestrial Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data. Field tests demonstrate that the two-dimensional roughness parameters obtained are considerably more precise than parameters determined from traditional one-dimensional profiling techniques. However, laboratory experiments show that the accuracy of the measured roughness parameters is limited by the high inclination scanning angle of the LiDAR system. Results from a numerical model are used to determine a set of calibration functions which can be used to easily correct the LiDAR measurements for the inclination angle effects.