Vegetation profile estimates from multialtitude, multifrequency radar interferometric and polarimetric data

Forest vegetation profiles are key inputs to biomass determination and ecosystem modeling. With the advent of radar interferometry, microwave remote sensing is directly sensitive to the distribution of vegetation in the vertical direction. Polarimetry and polarimetric interferometry further enhance vertical-profile determination. Parameter estimation driven by simple physical models of vegetation scattering yields quantitative estimates of parameteres such as vegetation height and the dimensions of vegetation layers and their relative scattering strengths. The analysis of a JPL TOPSAR data set collected in April 1998 over Central Oregon focuses on the relative contributions of interferometric, polarimetric, and multifrequency data types to improving vegetation parameter-estimate accuracy. This data set consists of vertical-polarization interferometry at three radar altitudes, 8 km, 4 km, and 2 km at C-band (5-cm wavelength) and L-band (25 cm), and full polarimetry at C-, L-, and P-(80 cm) bands. After a brief description of the data set, a description of the simple physical model used to estimate vegetation profile parameters is followed by a description of the data set and the results