Potential for surface parameter estimation using compact polarimetric SAR

The retrieval of soil surface parameters using a dual-polarization synthetic aperture radar operating in a compact polarimetric mode is examined. It is shown that by employing a two-component model of surface polarimetric coherency, soil surface parameter retrieval is possible directly from measurements without the need for any additional assumptions. Model surface parameters inverted by using the full polarimetric coherency matrix may be recovered equally well from a compact polarimetric coherency matrix.