An Error Model for Biomass Estimates Derived From Polarimetric Radar Backscatter

Estimating the amount of above ground biomass in forested areas and the measurement of carbon flux through the quantification of disturbance and regrowth are critical to develop a better understanding of ecosystem processes. Well-resolved and globally consistent inventories of forest carbon must rely on remote sensing measurements, particularly from polarimetric radars. While a wide variety of studies conducted over the past three decades have shown how radar polarimetric measurements can be used to estimate above ground carbon for regions with less than 100 Mg of biomass per hectare, there is no established methodology for assessing biomass estimation accuracy based on a priori instrument and mission parameters. In this paper, a framework for assessing biomass estimation accuracy is presented that is a blend of the basic imaging physics and empirically derived parameters that describe various relationships between biomass and radar polarimetric observable quantities. The implications of this error model on the design and performance of a polarimetric radar are explored using instrument, mission, and science parameters from a notional Earth observing mission.