Profile of dielectric constant of peat in Ogan Komering Ilir Regency, Indonesia using SAR Sentinel-1 and ground penetrating radar

Abstract

Profile of dielectric constant of a substance or a surface indicates its electromagnetic parameters. The profile is associated with electric polarization, permeability with magnetic polarization, and conductivity with an electric current field. In the practice, the Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) and the Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) are commonly utilized to determine how much velocity of a substance and its scattering profiles. However, information about the profile radar scattering mechanisms in tropical peatland is still limited. Therefore, we evaluated dielectric constant from the field using GPR and estimated its spatial variation from a dual-polarization Sentinel-1A type C-band SAR in Ogan Komering Ilir, South Sumatera Province, Indonesia. We measured dielectric constant at the two major types of land use, namely oil palm and acacia. Results indicated that the dielectric constant derived from SAR Sentinel-1A and GPR are affected by peat moisture. It increases as the peat moisture increases. Results show that during peat dry conditions, the profiles of dielectric constant derived from dual-pol Sentinel-1A images are relatively similar to the dielectric constant of peat in Siak Regency. It ranges between 31.78 and 59.3. The dielectric constant derived from GPR ranges between 69 and 70.