Oil spill detection using simulated radarsat constellation mission compact polarimetric SAR data

Abstract

Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) remote sensing has become a valuable tool for maritime pollution monitoring with three major requirements: 1) low noise floor, 2) large area coverage, and 3) polarization diversity to maximize detection and discrimination of pollution features. In order to reconcile the advantages of fully polarimetric SAR with larger area coverage, compact polarimetry (CP) acquisitions offer a trade-off between the above mentioned requirements. The future Canadian RADARSAT Constellation Mission (RCM) will enable the acquisition of CP SAR data in wide swath imagery, including ScanSAR modes. In this study, we investigate the potential of CP for four RCM SAR modes for oil spill detection. These modes have different spatial resolutions and noise floors. An initial visual interpretation of the results indicates potential of some CP features for the discrimination between oil spills and lookalike.