Oyster reef signature in tidal flats detected by multi-frequency polarimetric SAR data

Polarimetric signatures of oyster reefs in tidal flats were investigated using multi-frequency polarimetric SAR data. The scattering mechanism in tidal flats was analyzed by the Freeman-Durden target decomposition and the target depolarization effect was quantitatively measured using the cross-polarized ratio. Strong multiple scattering and depolarization effect were observed in oyster reefs areas from Cand X-band data. These scattering signatures were also verified from in-situ measurements using a ground-based polarimetric scatterometer system. However, no difference was observed between the scattering signatures of oyster reefs and mud flat areas from L- band data, which have a relatively longer wavelength. These results suggest that multi-frequency polarimetric SAR observations can be used to quantitatively detect the spatial distribution of oyster reefs in tidal flats.