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Radar Scattering Features Under High Wind Conditions From Spaceborne Quad-Polarization SAR Observations | IEEE Journals & Magazine | IEEE Xplore

Radar Scattering Features Under High Wind Conditions From Spaceborne Quad-Polarization SAR Observations


Abstract:

This study examines the impact of wave breaking (WB) and Bragg scattering on the normalized radar cross section (NRCS) to reveal radar scattering features during high win...Show More

Abstract:

This study examines the impact of wave breaking (WB) and Bragg scattering on the normalized radar cross section (NRCS) to reveal radar scattering features during high wind conditions. This is conducted by decomposing C-band quasi-synchronous wide-swath quad-polarization synthetic aperture radar (SAR) observations acquired from the RADARSAT Constellation Mission (RCM) and RADARSAT-2 (RS-2). The analysis results clearly demonstrate that the polarization difference (PD) associated with Bragg scattering saturates at high wind speeds, while still maintaining azimuthal modulation. Notably, the radar returns from breaking waves at cross-polarization (HV or VH) exhibit higher sensitivity to wind speeds but lower sensitivity to wind direction, compared to co-polarization (HH or VV). Moreover, our analyses show that WB contributes 40%, 80%, and 90% of VV-, HH-, and HV-polarized NRCS, respectively. This study highlights the unique capabilities provided by collocated RCM and RS-2 observations for investigating radar scattering features under high wind conditions. Results of this study can be further used to develop empirical models for estimating co- and cross-polarization radar backscatters induced by WB under high wind speeds.
Article Sequence Number: 4207309
Date of Publication: 12 July 2024

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