Repeat-Pass Interferometric Coherence Measurements of Disturbed Tropical Forest from JERS and ERS Satellites

The phase coherence between repeat-pass SAR observations of a tropical forest region was investigated as a source of information for biophysical characteristics in regenerating and undisturbed areas of forest. SAR imagery was acquired and interferometric coherence maps were derived for a 1-day repeat pair at C-band, using ERS-1 and ERS-2, and for 44-day and 132-day repeats at L-band, using JERS. The backscattering coefficient and coherence characteristics were analyzed in conjunction with biomass density estimates determined from field measurements and land cover characteristics derived from an annual sequence of Landsat TM imagery. The results demonstrate that repeat-pass coherence adds significantly to the information available from SAR imagery of tropical forest.