Generation of persistent scatterers in non-urban areas: the role of microwave scattering parameters

Abstract

In this work, we study the capability of the ground surface to generate Persistent Scatterers (PS) based on the lithology, slope and aspect angles. These properties affect the scattering behavior of the Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) signal, the interferometric phase stability and, as a consequence, the PS generation. Two-time series of interferometric SAR data acquired by two different SAR sensors in the C-band are processed to generate independent PS datasets. The region north of Lisbon, Portugal, characterized by sparse vegetation and lithology diversity, is chosen as study area. The PS frequency distribution is obtained in terms of lithology, slope and aspect angles. This relationship could be useful to estimate the expected PS density in landslide-prone areas, being lithology, slope and aspect angles important landslide predisposing factors.