Iceberg detection
Iceberg properties
Physics of icebergs
Backscattering
Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR)
SAR polarimetry
Climate change
Polar environments
Ocean applications using SAR
My PhD focusesd on remote sensing of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) to detect icebergs in the Arctic and understanding the backscattering mechanisms that different iceberg properties may induce, thus affecting the image acquisition/resolution. In the wider picture this research is important because icebergs are huge hazards to ships and maritime influences, and climate change is likely to result in a higher flux of icebergs. In particular, the project focuses on polarimetric SAR analysis of icebergs. Polarimetric SAR concerns the orientation of electromagnetic pulses to a target.
My first publication focused on polarimetric behaviour of icebergs in Greenland, using polarimetric decomposition techniques to exploit target characteristics. This research showed that icebergs cannot be classified as single targets, partial, targets, or a group of single targets. Results also showed that target entropy is not sufficient as a standalone parameter to classify Arctic icebergs.
My second publication focused on detection performance of icebergs in Greenland, using six state-of-the-art detector algorithms that were previously applied to ship detection, but which are applied on an iceberg dataset for the first time. These detectors are the Dual Intensity Ratio Anomaly Detector, Notch Filter, Polarimetric Match Filter, Reflection Symmetry Detector, Polarimetric Whitening Filter (PWF) and Optimal Polarimetric Detector (OPD). This research was conducted in two scenarios: open ocean and in sea-ice. The resutls showed that the best detection performance came from the OPD and PWF using a quad-pol mode.
In the future I would like to look at expanding my research by delving deep into other ocean and cryospheric applications.
