1. POLARIMETRIC IMPLICATIONS OF INCIDENCE ANGLE VARIABILITY FOR UAVSAR Rick Guritz, Don Atwood1 Bruce Chapman, and Scott Hensley2 Alaska Satellite Facility NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory

2. UAVSAR The UAVSAR L-band radar is housed in a pod flown on the NASA G-3 platform, shown here in flight over Edwards Air Force Base, California.

3. UAVSAR NASA Jet Propulsion Lab’s UAVSAR Instrument Reconfigurable L-band, quad-polarimetric SAR Developed specifically for repeat track differential interferometry Designed to be flown aboard a UAV (Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle) Currently being flown aboard a Gulfstream III Mission-based data acquisition

4. UAVSAR NASA Jet Propulsion Lab’s UAVSAR Instrument Reconfigurable L-band, quad-polarimetric SAR Developed specifically for repeat track differential interferometry Designed to be flown aboard a UAV (Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle) Currently being flown aboard a Gulfstream III Mission-based data acquisition Lacks coverage of spaceborne SAR, but offers higher resolution and better noise floor. Great data for PolSAR research. However airborne platform presents broad range of look angles, possibly making classification more challenging

5. Motivation Investigate the affects of incidence angle variation on polarimetric scattering mechanisms As noted by Dr. Lee in his summary talk Tuesday Ideal Radiometric Terrain Correction will require knowledge of terrain type – No current RTC algorithms address this Assess possible implications for polarimetric classification

7. Show ellipsoidal and local incidence angle ranges

8. Introduce statistical method for investigating scattering mechanisms

9. Characterize impact of incidence angle on scattering mechanisms

11. Incidence Angle Variability 70 degrees 0 degrees Ellipsoidal Incidence Angle Ranges from 12 to 64 degrees

12. Incidence Angle Variability Hillshade DEM

13. Incidence Angle Variability 90 degrees 0 degrees Local Incidence Angle

14. Incidence Angle Variability Segmentation of Local Incidence Angle

15. Reference Data USGS NLCD 2006

19. VanZyl Decomposition (all Incidence Angles) Surface Double Bounce Volume

20. Pixel Count per Incidence Angle

21. Incidence Angle Analysis Surface Double Bounce Volume

22. Incidence Angle Analysis Surface Double Bounce Volume

23. Incidence Angle Analysis Surface Double Bounce Volume

24. Incidence Angle Analysis Surface Double Bounce Volume

25. Incidence Angle Analysis Surface Double Bounce Volume

26. Incidence Angle Analysis Surface Double Bounce Volume

27. Trend Analysis Surface Double Bounce Volume

28. Class: Evergreen Surface Double Bounce Volume

29. Class: Woody Wetlands Surface Double Bounce Volume

30. Class: Shrub/Scrub Surface Double Bounce Volume

31. Class: Herb/Grassland Surface Double Bounce Volume

32. Class: Emergent Herb Wetlands Surface Double Bounce Volume

33. Class: Barren Ground Surface Double Bounce Volume

35. Corresponding growth of volume and double bounce

38. VanZyl scattering mechanism vary strongly as a function of local incidence angle for all classes

39. Trend across classes included diminishing surface scattering and increasing volume and double bounce scattering as incidence angle increases