Evaluation of modified four-component scattering power decomposition method over highly rugged glaciated terrain.

In recent years, there has been increased utilization of fully polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (POLSAR) data to study glaciated terrain features for glaciological and climate change modelling. This article is concerned with more accurate results and appropriate analysis of POLSAR data over a highly rugged glaciated area in Himalayan region. For this purpose, the modified Yamaguchi four-component scattering power decomposition (4-CSPD) method with a rotation concept of 3 × 3 coherency matrix [T] about line of sight is evaluated. It has been found that the modified Yamaguchi 4-CSPD method significantly improved the decomposition results as compared with the original 4-CSPD by minimizing the cross-polarized Horizontal-Vertical (HV) components. This modified 4-CSPD leads to enhancement in the double bounce scattering and surface scattering components and also avoids the overestimation problem in the volume scattering component as compared with the original 4-CSPD from the sloped terrain. The significant reductions of the negative power occurrence in the surface scattering (3.9%) and the double bounce scattering (19.7%) components have also been noticed as compared with the original 4-CSPD method over the glaciated area in this part of the Indian Himalaya. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]