Biomass of dense forests related to L-band SAR backscatter?

Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) is one of the most promising remote sensor to map forest carbon. The unique spaceborne and long-wavelength SAR data currently available are L-band data, but their relationship with forest biomass is still under controversy, particularly for high biomass values. While m...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Mermoz, S., Rejou-Mechain, M., Villard, L., Le Toan, T., Rossi, V., Gourlet-Fleury, S.
Format: Conference Proceeding
Language:English
Subjects:
ALOS PALSAR
Backscatter
Biomass
Carbon
Carbon mapping
Estimation
L-band
Synthetic aperture radar
Tropical forest
Vegetation
Online Access:Request full text
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Summary:Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) is one of the most promising remote sensor to map forest carbon. The unique spaceborne and long-wavelength SAR data currently available are L-band data, but their relationship with forest biomass is still under controversy, particularly for high biomass values. While many studies assume a complete loss of sensitivity above a saturation point, typically around 100 t.ha -1 , others assume a continuous positive correlation between SAR backscatter and biomass. The objective of this paper is to revisit the relationship between L-band SAR backscatter and dense tropical forest biomass for a large range of biomass values, using both theoretical and experimental approaches. Both approaches revealed that after reaching a maximum value, SAR backscatter correlates negatively with forest biomass. This phenomenon is interpreted as a signal attenuation from the forest canopy as the canopy becomes denser. This result has strong implication for L-band vegetation mapping as it can lead to a more-than-expected biomass under-estimation.
ISSN:2153-6996
2153-7003
DOI:10.1109/IGARSS.2014.6946605