Contribution of spaceborne radar remote sensing for the monitoring of surface parameters of a Sahelian agro-pastoral zone

The objective of this thesis is to monitor land surface parameters using active microwave remote sensing. The ERS wind scatterometer combines high temporal resolution with coarse spatial resolution, and its potential has been demonstrated for the monitoring of Sahelian pastoral areas. In order to extend its use to the whole Sahelian belt, its potential over more heterogeneous areas must be assessed. Hence, this work has been conducted over a study area located in a Sahelian agro-pastoral region. Results of the modeling study and use of ERS synthetic aperture radar and wind scatterometer complementarity show that vegetation cover fraction is a key parameter of the radar response within a resolution cell. These results led to the retrival of soil moisture estimations from scatterometer data.