Utility of Polarizations Available from Sentinel-1 for Tundra Mapping

This paper reviews achievements with C-band SAR in general and specifically Sentinel-1 for Arctic land monitoring, the implications of the current acquisition strategy including the availability of certain polarizations and discusses differences to other wavelengths through the use of Kennaugh parameterization. Unfrozen as well as frozen season observations provide added value. C-VV has the best availability and can be used for a wide range of land cover and terrain change studies. C-HH has been proven applicable for soil characterization but can only be applied regionally. A combination with other wavelengths (demonstrated for X-band) is promising for specifically mapping of wetlands, which are of interest with respect to permafrost applications.