SC4.6: GNSS-Reflectometry & Applications

WG 4.6.1: GNSS-R Development and Experiment
Chair: Manuel Martin-Neira (ESA/ESTEC, The Netherlands)
Co-Chair: Fran Fabra (Institut de Ci¨¨ncies de l'Espai, Spain)

Description:
Description: The PARIS (PAssive Reflectometry Interferometric System, also called GNSS-Reflectometry) was successfully designed to use GNSS reflected signals from Earth¡¯s surface to act as multiple passive altimetric ranging signals and a bistatic scatterometer. This effort will be dedicated to GNSS-Reflectometry technique development, experiments and processing, e.g.,GNSS-R test and applications in land and ocean surface.

Goals:
1) To provide GNSS-R technique information and new developments, including GNSS-R receiver, antenna, signals, and simulations; 2) To organize GNSS-R experiments in ocean coast, bridge, aircraft and LEO satellites and analyze and test the GNSS-R for land and ocean surface applications.

WG 4.6.2: GNSS Scatterometry
Chair: Scott Gleason (Concordia University, Canada)
Co-Chair: Maria Clarizia (SOC, Southampton, UK)

Description:
Primarily focused on the study of ocean wind and wave retrieval using scattered GNSS signals as well as ocean sensing applications, including looking into the signal scattering statistics and analyzing the achievable surface resolution for different instrument configurations.

Goals:
To improve the scattering signal quality and estimated theory for ocean wind and wave retrieval using different instrument and GNSS-R carrier configurations.

WG 4.6.3: GNSS Ocean Altimetry
Chair: Salvatore d¡¯Addio (ESA/ESTEC, The Netherlands)
Co-Chair: Estel Cardellach (Institut d'Estudis Espacials de Catalunya, Spain)

Description:
The ocean surface roughness characteristics can be detected in some cases using GNSS reflected signals comparable with other remote sensors . Further research is needed in detailed analysis of the electromagnetic field scattering theory, power and Delay-Doppler parameter retrieval methods and characterizing the L-band surface slopes' probablility density function.

Goals:
To improve GNSS Altimetry for all currently available GNSS signals and to demonstrate more applications in oceans through closely collaborating with Commission 2, e.g. Altimetry, Gravimetry, ICESat, etc.

WG 4.6.4: Soil and Cryosphere detection by GNSS-R
Chair: Mark Jacobson (Montana State University Billings, USA)
Co-Chair: Nicolas Floury (ESA/ESTEC, The Netherlands)

Description:
The soil moisture, ice and snow thickness are related to the amplitude of the reflected signal as a function of the incidence angle or relative amplitudes between different polarizations, which can be retrieved from the GNSS reflected signals. This effort is to develop GNSS reflectometry and multipath for land surface mapping, wetland monitoring and surface soil moisture and snow/ice thickness as well as the condition of sea ice, glacial melting and the frozen state.

Goals:
To improve the estimate theory and sensitivity to soil moisture, snow and ice condition from the GNSS reflected signals and to precisely determine the soil moisture, ice status and features.

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