Theses and Dissertations

Issuing Body

Mississippi State University

Advisor

Ball, John

Committee Member

Kurum, Mehmet

Committee Member

Gurbuz, Ali

Committee Member

Burch, Reuben

Committee Member

Du, Jenny

Date of Degree

4-30-2021

Original embargo terms

Complete embargo for 2 years

Document Type

Graduate Thesis - Open Access

Major

Electrical and Computer Engineering

Degree Name

Master of Science

College

James Worth Bagley College of Engineering

Department

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Abstract

Root-zone soil moisture (RZSM) is an important variable when forecasting plant growth, determining water availability during drought, and understanding evapotranspiration as a flux. However, current methods indirectly estimate RZSM using data assimilation, which requires time-series data to make model-based predictions. This is because direct measurement requires a lower frequency signal, typically P-band and below (<500MHz), to reach root zone depths and, in turn, necessitates a larger antenna to be deployed in space, which is often unfeasible. A new remote sensing technique known as Signals of Opportunity (SoOp) reutilizes transmitted communication signals to perform microwave remote sensing. This means that SoOp platforms need not include a transmitter, but rather rely on passive radar technology to make measurements. This thesis details the development of a UAS-based P-band SoOp receiver instrument. This platform will be used to progress the state-of-art in techniques for direct measurement of RZSM.

Sponsorship

ERDC TO-002

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