Polarimetric target decomposition and physical interpretation of NASA (JPL) AIRSAR data in mountainous terrain

Two types of polarimetric Target Decomposition (TD) theories were used to investigate the effects of surface slopes on the physical scattering mechanisms over mountainous scattering surfaces. This study is implemented with the L- & P-band NASA (JPL) airborne SAR (AIRSAR) data, which was acquired during PACRIM-II Korea campaign in September 2000. Although the dominant scattering mechanism of mountainous forest area is volume scattering in pine forest scattering surface, detailed scattering mechanism varies with respect to the local incidence angle variations due to the local topography and wavelength.