Estimating scattering mechanism at oyster farm site by polarimetry SAR

-Tide height in coastal area are possible to measure by using interferometric phase and intensity of SAR data. This SAR technique for measuring the tide height within a near coastal zone can be applied to double bounce dominant area. In this paper, we investigate the backscattering characteristics of the oyster farm structures. Laboratory experiments were carried out using Ku-band according to the target scale. Radar returns from vertical poles are stronger than those from horizontal poles by 10.5 dB. Single bounce components were as strong as double bounce components and more sensitive to antenna look direction. Double bounce components show quasi-linear relation with height of vertical poles, which implies double bounce is more useful to determine water level than total power. L-band NASA/JPL airborne SAR (AIRSAR) image was classified into single bounce and double bounce, and volume scattering. It is observed that not all oyster farms are characterized by double bounced scattering. The image intensity of the double bounce dominant oyster farm was investigated with respect to that of oyster farm dominated by single bounce in JERS-1 SAR data. The image intensity model results in a correlation coefficient of, R2 , 0.78 in double bounce dominant area while that of 0.54 in single bouncing dominant area. This shows that double bounce dominant area should be selected for water height measurement using InSAR technique. Keywords-component; tide height, AIRSAR, double bounce, image intensity, sea farms.