Observations from C-Band SAR Fully Polarimetric Parameters of Mobile Sea Ice Based on Radar Scattering Mechanisms to Support Operational Sea Ice Monitoring

Fully polarimetric (FP) SAR systems offer parameters that describe and quantify the scattering mechanisms from the surface cover. These are usually derived from decomposition of matrices derived from the original scattering matrix from observations at each pixel. Power from scattering mechanisms hav...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Canadian Journal of Remote Sensing
Main Authors: Mohammed Shokr, Mohammed Dabboor, Melanie Lacelle, Tom Zagon, Benjamin Deschamps
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
French
Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2022
Subjects:
Environmental sciences
GE1-350
Technology
T
Arctic
Resolute Passage
Sea ice
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1080/07038992.2021.2003701
https://doaj.org/article/766860d68aec41028abd49040852eac2
Description
Summary:Fully polarimetric (FP) SAR systems offer parameters that describe and quantify the scattering mechanisms from the surface cover. These are usually derived from decomposition of matrices derived from the original scattering matrix from observations at each pixel. Power from scattering mechanisms have potential for retrieval of sea ice information, which cannot be derived using traditional backscatter (magnitude or phase) measured by single- or dual-polarization SAR systems. This study investigates the potential of selected FP parameters that represent the power of three scattering mechanisms, in addition to the total power, in identifying ice types and surface features for operational use. Parameters were obtained from a set of 62 RADARSAT-2 Quad-pol data over Resolute Passage, central Arctic, during the period September-December 2017. A scattering-based color-composite scheme was developed. Analysis of the examined color images was supported by information from regional ice charts and SAR image interpretations from the Canadian Ice Service. Case studies are presented to demonstrate the potential of the proposed color-composite tool. Open water, new ice, multi-year ice and a few surface features including rafted, ridged and smooth/rough surfaces can be identified better in the color images. Physical interpretation of the relative power from the given scattering mechanisms is explained for the relevant ice types and surfaces.

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