Dual-POL SLC and GRD Scattering Power Components for Land Cover Characterization

Scattering power components extracted from polarimetric SAR data have proven invaluable in characterizing diverse land cover targets. However, methods to derive the scattering powers are limited to full-polarimetric SAR data. This study introduces a novel approach to obtain scattering power components from dual-pol SLC and GRD SAR data. We assess the scattering power components observed over various land covers with Sentinel-1 image acquired over Buenos Aires, Argentina; Chennai, India; and Oran, Algeria. The proportion of the scattering powers varies depending upon the target’s physical and geometrical properties, which helps in their improved characterization.