Research is being conducted into improving existing and developing new techniques of multi-band radar and synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) characterization of sediment properties, including composition, consistency, and mechanical characteristics of sediments of all types, including sandy and gravely beds, soft cohesive coastal and inland deposits, tidal flats, tundra, frozen and thawing permafrost, snow and ice (including sea ice) are of interest. We are interested in radar processing and analysis, including polarimetric analysis and relation to ground properties and ground return types for all types of terrain and all types of scatters – bare soils, vegetated soils, large structures and small objects. Radar and SAR system operation, calibration, and maintenance is of high importance to our research group as well. Systems of all wavelengths are being operated by the group and are thus of interest – ranging from more than one meter to millimeter-wave systems. Furthermore, the interest includes forward modeling of RF (Radio Frequency) propagation as relevant to airborne or space-borne radar and SAR systems and analysis of complex returns from all terrain and scatterers – both surface and subsurface (e.g. as in the case of sub-surface soil moisture content  determination). The goal is to improve our ability to describe not only generic terrain features and composition but also derive material properties that can be used in predicting soil behavior under mechanical loads, including the description of trafficability.

Our group operates several state-of-the-art SAR systems covering all frequency ranges and routinely collects, processes, and analyzes data and develops models to represent these data from many locations around the world and for many basic and applied research projects, in support of Navy and USMC applications.