A unified polarimetric approach for SAR sea oil slick observation

In this study, a novel unified theoretical framework to describe the polarimetric sea surface scattering with and without surface slicks, entirely based on the Mueller scattering matrix, is proposed. Dealing with slick-free or weak-damping-slick-covered sea surface a Bragg scattering mechanism is expected, while, a non-Bragg scattering mechanism is expected in case of oil-covered sea surface. Following this rationale, the Mueller scattering matrix is physically read in terms of slick-free and slick-covered sea surface scattering mechanisms, through the analysis of some Mueller based polarimetric descriptors, i.e. the degree of polarization, the statistics of the phase difference and the pedestal height. Experiments accomplished on Level 1.1 full polarimetric L-band ALOS PalSAR data confirm the effectiveness of the proposed approach.