Relationship between profile length and roughness variables for natural surfaces

Surface roughness variables such as the rms height and the correlation length are commonly used as inputs for electromagnetic models to predict the backscattering coefficient. The objective of this study is to investigate the influence of the roughness profile length on the estimation of roughness variables. Surface profiles of 25 m long obtained by a laser profiler have been examined. A clear dependence of exponential type was observed between the roughness variables and the profile length.