Abstract: The sea ice identification capability of 13 kinds of polarization characteristic parameters on L-Band and C-Band using SIR-C images in Antarctica are assessed. Six parameters best distinguish sea ice from seawater on L-band: entropy, cross polarization ratio HV/VV, polarization ratio VV/HH, polarization correlation coefficient ρHH-VV, HV polarization backscatter coefficient, and Alpha angle. Additionally, HH polarization backscatter coefficient and cross-polarization ratio HV/HH differentiate sea ice from seawater, whereas other parameters experience difficulty doing so. Four parameters best distinguish sea ice and seawater on C-band: entropy, polarization correlation coefficient ρHH-VV, HV polarization backscatter coefficient, and polarization ratio VV/HH; HH polarization backscatter coefficient, cross-polarization ratio HV/VV, Alpha angle and VV polarization backscattering coefficient can also differentiate sea ice and seawater, but the remaining five parameters have difficulty doing so. Overall, L-band capabilities distinguish sea ice from seawater better than C-band. This provides a useful reference for sea ice detection studies.

Key words: SIR-C, polarization characteristic parameters, sea ice, seawater