Aircraft Synthetic Aperture Radar Research Articles

Ocean Image Formation Algorithm Using Altimeter Data for Next Generation Satellite SAR

Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) obtains two-dimensional images of the Earth’s surface. Spatial resolution is one of the most important factors in evaluating SAR performance. Therefore, high operating frequencies are preferred for obtaining high resolution images. In fact, Ku-band and Ka-band are used in the automobile SAR (Auto-SAR) and the aircraft SAR (Airborne-SAR). However, the operating frequencies of the satellite SAR (Spaceborne-SAR) are limited to the X-band because of the wide Doppler frequency band caused by the satellite’s high velocity. To overcome this frequency limitation in satellite SAR, we propose a low-complexity SAR algorithm that forms images of the ocean using satellite altimeter data with an operating frequency of the Ku-band (13.575 GHz). The algorithm requires the burst mode pulse transmission technique frequently used in SAR altimeters. To validate the proposed algorithm as being suitable for ocean image formation, point target simulation and analysis are performed, and some quantitative results are provided.

Preliminary analysis of experimental cross-polarization images from polarimetric aircraft synthetic aperture radar of P-band

An analysis of polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (SAR) space observations usage for measuring Faraday rotation angle of plane-polarized electromagnetic radiation on the satellite-Earth-satellite route and calibrating the radar is performed. It is shown that technical characteristics of SAR, the radar movement during the survey and features of electromagnetic waves reflection from the rough Earth’s surface, as well as small-scale ionospheric inhomogeneities affect the results of comparison the radar images at HV and VH cross-polarizations. As a result, there is a problem of SAR signal polarization plane Faraday rotation angle measuring accuracy, which is needed for proper calibration of linearly polarized polarimetric long-wave band SAR using methods proposed by soviet and foreign specialists. Currently, there are no studies of Earth’s surfaces reflection properties carried out by means of space-based long-wave band polarimetric synthesized aperture radars at HV and VH polarizations. At the same time, the authors are not aware of any works, in which the reciprocity principle of cross-polarized HV and VH radar images is analyzed. An attempt to use aircraft P-band radar images at HV and VH polarizations for studying the reciprocity principle is performed in this work.

A Robust Motion Error Estimation Method Based on Raw Data

High-resolution airborne synthetic aperture radar (SAR) systems are very sensible to deviations of the aircraft from the reference track. In high-resolution imagery, the improvement of range resolution increases the difficulty of implementing range cell migration correction (RCMC), while a wider synthetic aperture increases the cumulative time of motion errors which will affect the image quality. To enable accurate motion compensation in image processing, a high-precision navigation system is needed. However, in many cases, due to the limit of accuracy of such systems, motion errors are hard to be compensated correctly, causing mainly the resolution decrease in final image. Moreover, in large swath mode, the range-dependent phase errors are difficult to be compensated by using the conventional autofocus algorithm only. In this paper, we propose a robust motion error estimation method based on raw SAR data. To apply this estimation method, we first estimate the double phase gradients in subaperture. Second, a filtering method based on curve fitting was proposed to reduce the phase estimation errors caused by low signal-to-clutter ratio (SCR). Finally, we propose a weighted total least square method to calculate the motion errors using the filtered phase gradients. Because the proposed algorithm is nonparametric, it can estimate high-order motion errors. This is very important for the airborne SAR, particularly the light aircraft SAR platform, due to their more complicated movement in air turbulence. The versatility that the proposed method can be used in any imaging algorithms is another advantage. The processing of large number of raw SAR data shows that the algorithm is as robust and practical as phase gradient autofocus and can generate better focused images.

Forest biomass mapping from lidar and radar synergies

The use of lidar and radar instruments to measure forest structure attributes such as height and biomass at global scales is being considered for a future Earth Observation satellite mission, DESDynI (Deformation, Ecosystem Structure, and Dynamics of Ice). Large footprint lidar makes a direct measurement of the heights of scatterers in the illuminated footprint and can yield accurate information about the vertical profile of the canopy within lidar footprint samples. Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) is known to sense the canopy volume, especially at longer wavelengths and provides image data. Methods for biomass mapping by a combination of lidar sampling and radar mapping need to be developed. In this study, several issues in this respect were investigated using aircraft borne lidar and SAR data in Howland, Maine, USA. The stepwise regression selected the height indices rh50 and rh75 of the Laser Vegetation Imaging Sensor (LVIS) data for predicting field measured biomass with a R 2 of 0.71 and RMSE of 31.33 Mg/ha. The above-ground biomass map generated from this regression model was considered to represent the true biomass of the area and was used as a reference map since no better biomass map exists for the area. Random samples were taken from the biomass map and the correlation between the sampled biomass and co-located SAR signature was studied. The best models were used to extend the biomass from lidar samples into all forested areas in the study area, which mimics a procedure that could be used for the future DESDYnI mission. It was found that depending on the data types used (quad-pol or dual-pol) the SAR data can predict the lidar biomass samples with R 2 of 0.63–0.71, RMSE of 32.0–28.2 Mg/ha up to biomass levels of 200–250 Mg/ha. The mean biomass of the study area calculated from the biomass maps generated by lidar–SAR synergy was within 10% of the reference biomass map derived from LVIS data. The results from this study are preliminary, but do show the potential of the combined use of lidar samples and radar imagery for forest biomass mapping. Various issues regarding lidar/radar data synergies for biomass mapping are discussed in the paper.

Motion error correction of range migration algorithm for aircraft spotlight SAR imaging

Since a motion error is the main phase error source in the aircraft synthetic aperture radar, several reconstruction algorithms with motion error correction have been developed. An efficient motion compensation via the known motion error information is proposed. Specifically, the proposed method is based on the subarea technique with shifting and the subaperture technique via the mean values of the motion errors. Then, using the extended Taylor approximation and the principle of the stationary phase, the motion errors are corrected through compensation at the mixing stage and the Stolt interpolation stage.

Using airborne and satellite SAR for wake mapping offshore

AbstractOffshore wind energy is progressing rapidly around Europe. One of the latest initiatives is the installation of multiple wind farms in clusters to share cables and maintenance costs and to fully exploit premium wind resource sites. For siting of multiple nearby wind farms, the wind turbine wake effect must be considered. Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) is an imaging remote sensing technique which offers a unique opportunity to describe spatial variations of wind speed offshore. For the first time an airborne SAR instrument was used for data acquisition over a large offshore wind farm. The aim was to identify the turbine wake effect from SAR‐derived wind speed maps as a downstream region of reduced wind speed. The aircraft SAR campaign was conducted on 12 October 2003 over the wind farm at Horns Rev in the North Sea. Nearly simultaneous measurements were acquired over the area by the SAR on board the ERS‐2 satellite. In addition, meteorological data were collected. Both aircraft and satellite SAR‐derived wind speed maps showed significant velocity deficits downstream of the wind farm. Wind speed maps retrieved from aircraft SAR suggested deficits of up to 20% downstream of the last turbine, whereas satellite SAR‐derived maps showed deficits of the order of 10%. The difference originated partly from the two different reference methods used for normalization of measured wind speeds. The detected region of reduced wind speed had the same width as the wind turbine array, indicating a low degree of horizontal wake dispersion. The downstream wake extent was approximately 10 km, which corresponds well with results from previous studies and with wake model predictions. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Greenland Sea Odden sea ice feature: Intra‐annual and interannual variability

The “Odden” is a large sea ice feature that forms in the east Greenland Sea that may protrude eastward to 5°E from the main sea ice pack (at about 8°W) between 73° and 77°N. It generally forms at the beginning of the winter season and can cover 300,000 km2. Throughout the winter the outer edge of the Odden may advance and retreat by several hundred kilometers on timescales of a few days to weeks. Satellite passive microwave observations from 1978 through 1995 provide a continuous record of the spatial and temporal variations of this extremely dynamic phenomenon. Aircraft synthetic aperture radar, satellite passive microwave, and ship observations in the Odden show that the Odden consists of new ice types, rather than older ice types advected eastward from the main pack. The 17‐year record shows both strong interannual and intra‐annual variations in Odden extent and temporal behavior. For example, in 1983 the Odden was weak, in 1984 the Odden did not occur, and in 1985 the Odden returned late in the season. An analysis of the ice area and extent time series derived from the satellite passive microwave observations along with meteorological data from the International Arctic Buoy Program (IABP) determined the meteorological forcing associated with Odden growth, maintenance, and decay. The key meteorological parameters that are related to the rapid ice formation and decay associated with the Odden are, in order of importance, air temperature, wind speed, and wind direction. Oceanographic parameters must play an important role in controlling Odden formation, but it is not yet possible to quantify this role because of a lack of long‐term oceanographic observations.

A finite mixtures algorithm for finding proportions in SAR images

This correspondence describes an algorithm for estimating the proportions of classes in an SAR image by first assuming that an image consists of a mixture of a known number of different pixel types. A maximum likelihood estimate of the parameters of the resulting mixture distribution is then evaluated using the EM algorithm. An advantage of the finite mixtures approach is that the quantities of interest, the proportions, are directly estimated. The technique is applied to aircraft synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images of sea ice. In addition to finding the proportions of the classes, knowledge of the mixture components allows image displays tailored to a user's requirements.

Evaluating the type and state of Alaska taiga forests with imaging radar for use in ecosystem models

Changes in the seasonal CO/sub 2/ flux of the boreal forests may result from increased atmospheric CO/sub 2/ concentrations and associated global warming patterns. To monitor this potential change, a combination of information derived from remote sensing data, including forest type and growing season length, and ecophysiological models which predict the CO/sub 2/ flux and its seasonal amplitude based on meteorological data, are required. The authors address the use of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) to map forest type and monitor canopy and soil freeze/thaw, which define the growing season for conifers, and leaf on/off, which defines the growing season for deciduous species. Aircraft SAR (AIRSAR) data collected in March 1988 during a freeze/thaw event are used to generate species maps and to determine the sensitivity of SAR to canopy freeze/thaw transitions. These data are also used to validate a microwave scattering model which is then used to determine the sensitivity of SAR to leaf on/off transitions and soil freeze/thaw. Finally, a CO/sub 2/ flux algorithm is presented which utilizes SAR data and an ecophysiological model to estimate CO/sub 2/ flux. CO/sub 2/ flux maps are generated, from which areal estimates of CO/sub 2/ flux are derived. >

ERS‐1 and Almaz estimates of directional ocean wave spectra conditioned by simultaneous aircraft SAR and buoy measurements

Abstract The European Space Agency ERS‐1 C‐band V‐V polarization synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and the Russian Almaz S‐band H‐H polarization SAR are compared for their wavenumber response to ocean wave fields existing on 23 November 1991 at the Grand Banks site of the North American ERS‐1 SAR Wave Spectra Validation Experiment. Two‐dimensional wave spectra from two Wavec heave, pitch and roll buoys and a Canadian CV‐580 aircraft C‐band V‐V polarization SAR are used to condition a linear modulation transfer model of wave imaging with SAR. A model of hydrodynamic modulation is included with the velocity bunching and tilt imaging mechanisms to better understand wind and wave interactions. Krogstad's quasi‐linear formulation of Hasselmann's ocean‐SAR integral transform is applied to model SAR velocity bunching and azimuth smearing. Narrow and broad bandwidth components of azimuth wavenumber response for the aircraft SAR are associated with, respectively, non‐linear and incoherent velocity smearing during Doppler resolution of the radar scene. The stationary resolutions of the SAR systems are compared for homogeneous scenes of wind‐roughened, but fetch‐limited, sea surfaces. This comparison is conducted in the Chesapeake Bay of Maryland using ERS‐1 and Almaz satellite imagery collected on 9 May 1992 and 14 May 1991, respectively. The results confirm that SAR imaging of ocean waves can be improved by flying platforms with low R/V (range/velocity) ratios to alleviate the azimuth velocity smear, and near‐nadir incidence angles to increase the effect of tilt modulation.

The PHARUS project, results of the definition study including the SAR testbed PHARS

The PHARUS (Phased Array Universal SAR) project aims for a polarimetric C-band aircraft synthetic aperture radar (SAR) that will be finalized in 1994. The system will make use of a phased array antenna with solid-state amplifiers. The project consists of a definition phase and a realization phase. The definition phase is intended to increase the knowledge on airborne SAR systems and to develop the critical technology that will be used in the final system. Three preparatory studies were carried out before the PHARUS system was designed. The study on antenna technology and calibration focused on the design of an active phased array antenna and on the calibration problems involved in using such an antenna. The second study concentrated on motion compensation and the third study consisted of the realization of a SAR testbed. Some results of the definition phase, including the results obtained from the first test flights of the SAR testbed, are given. The PHARUS predesign is described. >

Comparison of aircraft synthetic aperture radar and buoy spectra during the Norwegian Continental Shelf Experiment of 1988

Aircraft synthetic aperture radar (SAR) measurements from seven flight paths at two different altitudes were acquired over a trimodal ocean wave system off the coast of Norway on March 11, 1988. These three wave systems traveling in different directions were also measured by a directional buoy with the buoy spectra rotated into the radar coordinates for comparison with SAR spectra. Fifteen subspectra were averaged to obtain the measured SAR spectra, and sixteen spectral bands were averaged to obtain the measured buoy spectra. The seven flight paths in conjunction with the three wave systems resulted in a nearly uniform distribution of azimuth peak directions varying from 0° to 83° and R/V varying from 28 to 110. The comparison of the SAR‐ and buoy‐derived peak wavelength and direction shows some scatter. We consider the scatter to be due primarily to the statistical uncertainty in the spectral estimates, the wave number resolution, and differences in the temporal and spatial averaging. Scanning distortion is shown to cause significant bias in the SAR and buoy comparison for slow‐flying aircraft imaging ocean wave swell. Correction of the SAR spectra for this special radar‐ocean condition gives significant improvement in the SAR‐buoy comparison. We investigate the relative importance of the motion‐related mechanisms (velocity bunching, velocity smearing, and scanning distortion), and the tilt contributions using four nondimensional imaging parameters.

Estimating splash pine biomass using radar backscatter

L-band HV multiple-incidence-angle aircraft synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data were analyzed in relation to average stand biomass, basal area, and tree height for 55 slash pine plantations located in northern Florida. This information was used to develop a system of equations to predict average stand biomass as a function of L-band (24.5-cm) radar backscatter. The system of equations developed in this study using three-stage least-squares and combinatorial screening accounted for 97% of the variability observed in average stand biomass per hectare. When applied to an independent data set, the biomass equations had an average bias of less than 1% with a standard error of approximately 3%. >

Polarimetric radar measurements of a forested area near Mt. Shasta

The authors present the results of an experiment using the NASA/JPL DC-8 AIRSAR (aircraft synthetic-aperture radar) over a coniferous forest near Mt. Shasta (California) in 1989. Calibration devices were deployed in clearings and under the forest canopy and passes at 20 degrees , 40 degrees , and 55 degrees incidence angles were made with the AIRSAR. A total of eight images at differing incidence angles have been processed and calibrated. The multipolarization multifrequency data were examined, and it was found that the C-band cross section averaged over like and cross polarizations is the best parameter for distinguishing between two stands with differing forest biomass. The average cross section at P- and L-bands is useful only for smaller incidence angles. Parameters describing the polarization behavior of the scattering were primarily useful in identifying the dominant scattering mechanisms for forest backscatter.< <ETX xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">&gt;</ETX>

Observation of wave refraction at an ice edge by synthetic aperture radar

In this note the refraction of waves at the ice edge is studied by using aircraft synthetic aperture radar (SAR). Penetration of a dominant swell from open ocean into the ice cover was observed by SAR during the Labrador Ice Margin Experiment (LIMEX), conducted on the marginal ice zone (MIZ) off the east coast of Newfoundland, Canada, in March 1987. At an ice edge with a large curvature, the dominant swell component disappeared locally in the SAR imagery. Six subscenes of waves in the MIZ from the SAR image have been processed, revealing total reflection, refraction, and energy reduction of the ocean waves by the ice cover. The observed variations of wave spectra from SAR near the ice edge are consistent with the model prediction of wave refraction at the ice edge due to the change of wave dispersion relation in ice developed by Liu and Mollo‐Christensen (1988).

Wave propagation in the marginal ice zone: Model predictions and comparisons with buoy and synthetic aperture radar data

In this paper the ocean wave dispersion relation and viscous attenuation by a sea ice cover are studied for waves propagating into the marginal ice zone (MIZ). The derivation of the dispersion relation and the viscous attenuation by an ice sheet are discussed for waves under flexure and pack compression. In the MIZ, the flexure effect is important for short waves. For a fixed wave period the changes in wavelength and group velocity as a function of ice thickness are significant. In turn, the exponential wave attenuation rate shows a rollover at short wave periods, whereby the rapid increase in wave attenuation rate with decreasing wave period slows down or even turns into a decrease. The Labrador Ice Margin Experiment (LIMEX), conducted on the MIZ off the east coast of Newfoundland, Canada, in March 1987, provides us with aircraft synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery, wave buoy, and ice property data. On the basis of the wave number spectrum from the SAR data and the concurrent wave frequency spectrum from the ocean buoy data and accelerometer data on the ice during LIMEX '87, the dispersion relation has been estimated and compared with a model. Wave energy attenuation rates are estimated from SAR data and the ice motion package data which were deployed at the ice edge and into the ice pack, and compared with the model. The model‐data comparisons are reasonably good for the ice conditions observed during LIMEX '87. Some previously reported data of wave attenuation in the MIZ are revisited for model comparison.

Aircraft synthetic aperture radar and buoy ocean wave measurements off the coast of Norway

Abstract Aircraft synthetic aperture radar (SAR) measurements from seven flight paths at two different altitudes were acquired over a tri-modal ocean wave system off the coast of Norway on 11 March 1988. These three-wave systems travelling in different directions were also measured by a directional buoy with the buoy spectra rotated into the radar coordinates for comparison with SAR spectra. Fifteen subspectra were averaged to obtain the measured SAR spectra and sixteen spectral bands were averaged to obtain the measured buoy spectra. The seven flight paths in conjunction with the three wave systems resulted in a nearly uniform distribution, of azimuth peak directions varying from 0° to 83° and R/Vvarying from 28 to 110 s. The SAR spectra derived and buoy peak wavelength and direction comparison show the expected variation, however some scatter and bias are present. The r.m.s. scatter was about 10 per cent or less for the peak wavelength and 10° or less for the peak direction. We consider the scatter as p...

Polarimetric SAR calibration experiment using active radar calibrators

Active radar calibrators are used to derive both the amplitude and phase characteristics of a multichannel polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (SAR) from the complex image data. Results are presented from an experiment carried out using the NASA/JPL DC-8 aircraft SAR over a calibration site at Goldstone, California. As part of the experiment, polarimetric active radar calibrators (PARCs) with adjustable polarization signatures were deployed. Experimental results demonstrate that the PARCs can be used to calibrate polarimetric SAR images successfully. Restrictions on the application of the PARC calibration procedure are discussed.< <ETX xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">&gt;</ETX>

Estimating aircraft SAR response characteristics and ocean wave spectra in the Labrador Sea Extreme waves Experiment

The Labrador Extreme Waves Experiment (LEWEX) was an international effort to assess methods of measuring and modeling the directional aspects of wind-generated ocean waves, especially their evolution in the presence of rapidly turning winds. The author describes data-processing methods that have been developed to derive estimates of two-dimensional wave height-variance spectra from the ocean imagery obtained in LEWEX by a C-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR) system aboard a Canadian CV-580 aircraft. SAR spectra at altitudes of 20000 and 12000 ft are compared for both large ( approximately 50 degrees ) and small ( approximately 25 degrees ) radar look angles. Independence spectral estimates from both a surface contour radar and a radar ocean wave spectrometer aboard a NASA aircraft are used to verify the surface wave spectrum.< <ETX xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">&gt;</ETX>

Potential Application of Multipolarization SAR for Pine-Plantation Biomass Estimation

This paper presents the techniques and the potential utility of multipolarization Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data for pineplantation biomass estimation. Three channels of SAR data, one from the Shuttle Imaging Radar SIR-A and the other two from the aircraft SAR, were acquired over the Baldwin County, Alabama, study area. The SIR-A data were acquired with HH polarization and the aircraft SAR data with VV and VH polarizations. Linear regression techniques are used to estimate the pine-plantation biomass, tree height, and age using 21 test plots. The results indicate that the multipolarization data are highly related to the plantation biomass. The results suggest a potential application of multipolarization SAR for pine-plantation biomass estimation.