Polarimetric calibration for RADARSAT-2

The RADARSAT-2 SAR currently under development will be required to operate in many modes, including a fully polarimetric mode with at least 30 beams. An efficient means for achieving and maintaining polarimetric calibration of these beams is needed, and the paper describes the work that has been performed to define and validate a method based on measurements obtained from polarimetric images of areas of the Amazon rainforest. The polarimetric modes and expected characteristics of the RADARSAT-2 sensor are described. The data analysis based on the theoretical backscatter characteristics of Amazon is outlined, and results from application of this analysis to C-band polarimetric Amazon data from SIR-C are presented.