Detection of Bivalve Beds on Exposed Intertidal Flats Using Polarimetric SAR Indicators

We propose new indicators for bivalve (oyster and mussel) beds on exposed intertidal flats, derived from dual-copolarization (HH + VV) TerraSAR-X, Radarsat-2, and ALOS-2 images of the German North Sea coast. Our analyses are based upon the Kennaugh element framework, and we show that different targets on exposed intertidal flats exhibit different radar backscattering characteristics, which manifest in different magnitudes of the Kennaugh elements. Namely, the inter-channel correlation’s real (K3) and imaginary (K7) part can be used to distinguish bivalve beds from surrounding sandy sediments, and together with the polarimetric coefficient (i.e., the normalized differential polarization ratio, K0/K4) they can be used as indicators for bivalve beds using multi-frequency dual-copolarization SAR data. Our results show that continuous bivalve bed monitoring is possible using dual-copolarimetric SAR acquisitions at all radar wavelengths.