Limitations of the Double-Bounce Power Estimation in Model-Based Polarimetric Decompositions of Vegetated Terrain

In this research, we discuss the possibility of incorrect prediction of the double-bounce scattering (DBS) power in model-based decomposition (MBD) algorithms applied to polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images of vegetated terrain. In most of the MBD schemes, the estimation of the DBS component is based on the assumption that the co-polarized phase difference (CPD) of the DBS is similar to those of backscattering from a pair of orthogonal planer conducting surfaces. However, for dielectric surfaces such as soil or vegetation trunks, this assumption is only valid within a certain range of radar incidence angle, which is dictated by the Brewster angles of the dielectric surfaces. If the incidence angle is out of this range, the DBS contribution is incorrectly estimated as the surface scattering. Moreover, because the Brewster angle is a function of surface permittivity, the angular range depends on moisture contents of the surfaces; therefore, correctness of the MBD results also depend on the surface moisture contents. To demonstrate this problem, we provide a simple numerical model of vegetated terrain, and we validate theoretical results by a series of controlled experiments carried out in an anechoic chamber with a simplified vegetation model.