Détection du gel et non-gel du sol en utilisant le radar polarimétrique à synthèse d’ouverture

Abstract

Radar polarimetry is a recent field, which offers increased detection possibilities compared with the monopolarisation radar sensors. The goal of this study is to evaluate the polarimetric data potential to monitor soil freezing in an agricultural environment. With this intention, three agricultural fields were selected, in two experimental stations of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada: Chapais and Harlaka. Data on soil temperature at three depths (1, 5, and 15 cm), as well as certain characteristics of the snow cover (density, snow height, and temperature), were collected during polarimetric image acquisitions using polarimetric C-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR) system on board Convair-580 aircraft operated by Environment Canada. Several approaches of polarimetric treatments were explored and compared: Pauli decomposition, Cloude and Pottier decomposition, polarimetric signature, and copolarized phase difference. The results obtained show that some soil surface conditions (frozen–unfrozen) can be discriminated by radar polarimetry. Indeed, with the Cloude and Pottier decomposition, this difference appears, when the soil freezes, by a decrease of the entropy values (H) and the α angle, and an increase of the anisotropy (A). The copolarisation signatures comparison shows well the differences between the pedestal height and the signature shape in the case of a frozen soil and an unfrozen one. Even if SAR polarimetry appears as a mean to discriminate soil freezing, it seems necessary to acquire a fall image, in a period without freezing, so we can compare it with the values of the parameters obtained when the soil is frozen.