Diurnal Cycles of C-Band Temporal Coherence and Backscattering Coefficient Over an Olive Orchard in a Semi-Arid Area: Comparison of In Situ and Sentinel-1 Radar Observations

C-band radar remote sensing is a suitable tool for monitoring agricultural areas on a large scale, providing access to information on vegetation such as plant biomass, or on the surface water content of the soil. Recent studies suggest that the water state and the physiological functioning of trees influence radar response leading to marked daily profiles of both radar backscattering coefficient and temporal coherence. The objective of this paper is to make a preliminary comparison between the temporal evolution of Sentinel-1 radar data and in situ radar measurements over a Mediterranean olive orchard located in Morocco. In situ radar data consist in quad polarizations measurements realized from a 20m high tower, every 15 minutes, for the period extending from May 2019 to October 2020.