Soil moisture limitations on monitoring boreal forest regrowth using spaceborne L-band SAR data

Eric S. Kasischke; Mihai A. Tanase; Laura L. Bourgeau-Chavez; Matthew Borr

Treesearch

Soil moisture limitations on monitoring boreal forest regrowth using spaceborne L-band SAR data

Formally Refereed

Authors:

Eric S. Kasischke, Mihai A. Tanase, Laura L. Bourgeau-Chavez, Matthew Borr

Year:

2011

Type:

Scientific Journal

Station:

Pacific Northwest Research Station

Source:

Remote Sensing of Environment. 115: 227-232

Download (PDF 1.60 MB)

Download (PDF 1.60 MB): https://research.fs.usda.gov/download/treesearch/39941.pdf

Abstract

A study was carried out to investigate the utility of L-band SAR data for estimating aboveground biomass in sites with low levels of vegetation regrowth. Data to estimate biomass were collected from 59 sites located in fire-disturbed black spruce forests in interior Alaska. PALSAR L-band data (HH and HV polarizations) collected on two dates in the summer/fall of 2007 and one date in the summer of 2009 were used. The results indicate that to use L-band SAR data for mapping aboveground biomass and monitoring forest regrowth will require development of approaches to account for the influence that variations in soil moisture have on L-band microwave backscatter, which can be particularly strong when low levels of aboveground biomass occur.

Keywords

synthetic aperture radar, L-band, biomass, soil moisture

Citation

Kasischke, Eric S.; Tanase, Mihai A.; Bourgeau-Chavez, Laura L.; Borr, Matthew. 2011. Soil moisture limitations on monitoring boreal forest regrowth using spaceborne L-band SAR data. Remote Sensing of Environment. 115: 227-232.