Radar Altimetry Backscattering Signatures at Ka, Ku, C and S Bands over Land

Satellite radar altimetry, initially designed for studying ocean surface topography, demonstrated a strong potential for the continuous monitoring of ice sheets and land surfaces over the last 25 years. If radar altimetry is mostly used for its capacity to determine surface height, the backscattering coefficients provide information on the surface properties.Spatio-temporal variations of radar altimetry backscattering over land were related to the nature of the surface and its changes against time. This study presents the results of an along-track analysis of radar altimetry echoes over land at S, C, Ku and Ka bands using data from Jason-2, ERS-2, ENVISAT and SARAL on their nominal orbit. Temporal average and deviations are presented at global scale.