Spectral separability and composition of coastal wetlands using SAR and fused optical-SAR data sets

Monitoring and managing coastal resources is an increasingly important environmental concern. Coastal wetlands are a particularly sensitive ecosystem receiving much attention at national, state, and local levels. Current, accurate information on the status, changes and pressures on these wetlands is essential for prudent decision making. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Coastal Change Analysis Program (C-CAP) has developed a protocol and classification system for mapping coastal wetlands and adjacent upland land cover for any coastal region of the United States based primarily on analysis of Landsat TM data. Some wetland areas are small in extent and are inadequately represented due to the spatial resolution of the TM. As part of a broader evaluation of the utility and role of SAR for coastal resource management data needs, the purpose of this investigation is to evaluate the potential of multi-sensor fusion and unsupervised classification for coastal wetland mapping under C-CAP guidelines