Investigation of joint probability density function of high-resolution VV- and HH-polarized X-band sea backscatter obtained through direct numerical simulations

Abstract

Joint statistical properties of range-resolved sea backscatter at different polarizations are investigated using large Monte Carlo ensembles of numerically generated data. The simulations are based on the first-principles boundary integral equation technique in the two-dimensional (2-D) space and produce noise-free sets of backscatter corresponding to well-defined wind conditions. This study focuses on the joint probability density function (PDF) of vertically (VV) and horizontally (HH) polarized clutter intensities, investigating the behavior of the function's orientation and shape with variations in the incidence angle and wind speed. Comparisons with the results generated using coherent formulation of the popular Two-Scale Model reveal strengths and weaknesses of the latter in reproducing detailed statistical descriptors of sea clutter such as the joint VV-HH PDF.