Ground and Volume Decomposition as a Proxy for AGB from P-Band SAR Data

In this work, the role of volume scattering obtained from ground and volume decomposition of P-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data as a proxy for biomass is investigated. The analysis here presented originates from the BIOMASS L2 activities, part of which were focused on strengthening the physi...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Remote sensing (Basel, Switzerland) Switzerland), 2020-01, Vol.12 (2), p.240
Main Authors: Banda, Francesco, Mariotti d’Alessandro, Mauro, Tebaldini, Stefano
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Backscattering
Biomass
Decomposition
Forests
interferometry
polarimetry
Remote sensing
Retrieval
sar
Scattering
Synthetic aperture radar
tomography
Topography
Tropical forests
Vegetation
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:In this work, the role of volume scattering obtained from ground and volume decomposition of P-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data as a proxy for biomass is investigated. The analysis here presented originates from the BIOMASS L2 activities, part of which were focused on strengthening the physical foundations of the SAR-based retrieval of forest above-ground biomass (AGB). A critical analysis of the observed strong correlation between tomographic intensity and AGB is done in order to propose simplified AGB proxies to be used during the interferometric phase of BIOMASS. In particular, the aim is to discuss whether, and to what extent, volume scattering obtained from ground/volume decomposition can provide a reasonable alternative to tomography. To do this, both are tested on P-band data collected at Paracou during the TropiSAR campaign and cross-validated against in-situ AGB measurements. Results indicate that volume backscattered power as obtained by ground/volume decomposition is weakly correlated to AGB, notwithstanding different solutions for volume scattering are tested, and support the conclusion that forest structure actually plays a non-negligible role in AGB retrieval in dense tropical forests.
ISSN:2072-4292
2072-4292
DOI:10.3390/rs12020240