Methodology · SAR processing

Polarimetric SAR - target decomposition

Decomposes backscatter into scattering mechanisms (surface, double-bounce, volume) using multi-polarisation data; good for forest structure estimation, urban mapping, and soil moisture retrieval.

How it works

Uses coherence or covariance matrix decomposition (Pauli, Freeman-Durden, Cloude-Pottier). Requires fully polarimetric (quad-pol) acquisition, which most operational sensors do not acquire by default. [Wikipedia: Synthetic-aperture radar](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synthetic-aperture_radar)

Topics this serves

Forest structure and biomass well suited
Soil moisture adequate
Urban change adequate
Crop-type mapping marginal

Existing implementations

Demonstrated

PALSAR-2

Capable, undemonstrated

C-SAR

Related methodologies

InSAR - surface deformation

Measures millimetre-scale ground surface displacement by comparing phase differences between repeat SAR passes; good for subsidence, earthquake deformation, and volcanic monitoring.
SAR backscatter - change detection

Detects land-cover or structural change by comparing backscatter intensity across dates; good for flood mapping, deforestation alerts, and disaster damage assessment.

Sources

[wikipedia]Wikipedia: Synthetic-aperture radarcommunityaccessed 2026-05-22

Methodology

Edited from public sources. Last reviewed date pending by SpectraWorks editorial. See the data dictionary for field definitions.

Cite or share

https://eo-atlas.org/topics/methodologies/polarimetric-sar-decomposition

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