Some confusion factors in radar image interpretation

Geologic interpretation of radar imagery for land use applications is discussed with reference to its dependence on classification of the radar return into categories related to some training area within the image. It is shown that such interpretation relies on the assumption that surface characteristics of areas with similar returns are truly similar. It is further shown that this may not always be true over water surfaces due to the influence of system parameters on the radar return. In imagery over land, both system parameters and scene parameters may lead to ambiguous returns which can ultimately lead to misinterpretation.