The backscatter response, and thus the appearance of an object or feature on a radar image, is dependent on several things.

• Different radar wavelengths or frequencies will result in variations due to their differing sensitivities to surface roughness, which controls the amount of energy backscattered.
• Using different polarizations will also affect how the energy interacts with a target and the subsequent energy that is reflected back to the radar.
• Variations in viewing geometry, including look/incidence angle, the look direction and orientation of features to the radar, and the local incidence angle at which the radar energy strikes the surface, play a major role in the amount of energy reflected. Generally, these differences can be quite significant between airborne and spaceborne platforms.
• Changes in the moisture content of an object or feature will also change the amount of backscatter.

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