Study of the polarization behaviour of complex natural and man-made clutter at middle and grazing angles

A special mapping mission using an aircraft synthetic aperture radar (SAR) was conducted at an airport near a large metropolitan area to characterize the clutter found in association with the airport, and the surrounding area. These data were obtained specifically to support the building of a simulator for future generation radars which will operate from commercial aircraft to detect meteorological features, such as the microburst, during takeoff and landings. These data allow the authors to study and document the polarization and angular response behaviour for a radar parameter region and clutter environment rarely studied. These behaviours are then linked to land use patterns, a topic of increasing importance for rapidly developing communities and countries with large land area