Soil Moisture Assessment
Variations in soil moisture produce changes in dielectric properties of soil. This contrast results in increasing backscatter with increasing soil moisture.

RADARSAT beam mode - The size of the agricultural field being imaged should be taken into consideration when choosing a beam mode. Ideally, the beam mode resolution should be several times smaller than the size of the agricultural fields.

RADARSAT incidence angle - Soil and canopy geometric structure, which are the dominant factor affecting radar backscatter, are minimized at steep angles. Steep incidence angles provide the greatest amount of signal penetration through a vegetation canopy and also maximize the contrast in backscatter received from variations in soil moisture.

Look direction - An ascending (18:00 H local time) pass may be preferred to minimize the presence of dew which may decrease interpretation and classification accuracy. Conversely, the descending pass (06:00 H local time) may reduce the effects of rain events in areas of convection related rainfall.

When to acquire RADARSAT data - Acquire data when other parameters that affect radar backscatter, such as vegetation cover, are minimized.