Maritime target and sea clutter measurements with a coherent Doppler polarimetric surveillance radar

Doppler polarimetry in a surveillance radar for the maritime surface picture is considered. This radar must be able to detect low-RCS targets in littoral environments. Measurements on such targets have been conducted with a coherent polarimetric measurement radar in March 2001 and preliminary results from that campaign are presented. The system provides estimates of the scattering matrix per range-Doppler bin. Several physical quantities that can be exploited to discriminate target echoes from sea clutter responses are discussed and an impression is given on their effectiveness.