Geophysical Parameters and Geophysical Application Development for Space-borne Polarimetric SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar)

Wooil M Moon1, Junjun Yin1,2 and Duk-Jin Kim3, (1)University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada, (2)Tsinghua University, Electronics Engineering, Beijing, China, (3)Seoul National University, School of Earth and Environmental Studies, Seoul, South Korea

Contact First Author: Wooil M Moon; wmoon@cc.umanitoba.ca

Previously Published Material: This research is in progress and a part of the same material will also be presented at the URSI At-RASC conference in later part of May 2015 in Gran Canaria. However, none of the material to be presented was published yet.

Abstract ID#: 35894

 

English Abstract:
Polarimetric SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) is an important microwave remote sensing tool which has increasing new applications in geophysics research. In addition to all weather operation advantages without sun light, it has interferometric applications utilizing the phase information of the backscattered signals. Understanding of geophysical parameters have been particularly important in the development of new geophysics applications for polarimetric SAR. As increasing number of new remote sensing satellites are now launched into Earth’s orbit, it is timely to revisit and study various geophysical parameters which are closely related to backscattered microwave signals and their interaction at the surface of Earth.

In this paper, we will first investigate geophysically applicable regions of electromagnetic spectrum and will discuss basic principles of space-borne fully polarimetric SAR (Syntehtic Aperture Radar), in regard to the observation of solid Earth processes such as earthquakes, volcanoes and mass movements at the surface of Earth. In addition, we will also discuss various geophysical parameters which play important roles in the observation of waves, currents and surface winds over Earth’s hydrosphere, including oceans and rivers, with radar scattrometer, radar altimeter and polarimetric SAR on-board Earth orbiting platforms. This paper will also discuss the available multiple frequency SAR systems and their applications.

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