Backscatter and interferometry for estimating above-ground biomass of sparse woodland: A case study in belize

Karin M. Viergever, Iain H. Woodhouse, Armando Marino, Matthew Brollyand, Neil Stuart

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

Abstract

Tropical savannas cover 20% of the Earth's land surface and are important ecosystems in the global carbon cycle due to their high productivity. This paper evaluates the use of SAR for estimating above-ground biomass of the woody vegetation in heterogeneous tropical savanna woodland in Belize, Central America. Single-pass shortwave InSAR data used are X-band (Intermap) and C-band (AIRSAR and SRTM). L- and P-band SAR backscatter data are from AIRSAR. Results show that SAR backscatter has a relatively low correlation to above ground biomass in the sparse savanna woodlands. Retrieved canopy heights from both X- and C-band InSAR give a better representation of the spatial distribution of AGB, but cannot be used to estimate biomass directly due to the heterogeneity of the canopy.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publication2009 IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium, IGARSS 2009 - Proceedings
PagesIII1047-III1050
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2009
Event2009 IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium, IGARSS 2009 - Cape Town, South Africa
Duration: 12 Jul 200917 Jul 2009

Publication series

NameInternational Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium (IGARSS)
Volume3

Conference

Conference2009 IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium, IGARSS 2009
Country/TerritorySouth Africa
CityCape Town
Period12/07/0917/07/09

Keywords

  • Above ground biomass
  • Insar
  • Sar backscatter
  • Savanna woodland
  • Tree height

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