Radar Monitoring of Wetland Hydrology: Dynamic Information for the Assessment of Ecosystem Services

Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data can improve the ability to map and monitor forested wetlands. Forested wetland maps were developed using multiple incidence angle ENVISAT ASAR (C-HH) for the Tuckahoe River Watershed, Maryland. These maps were compared with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Wetlands Inventory (NWI) and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Soil Survey Geographic Database (SSURGO) maps. Radar derived wetland maps and NWI maps showed a high level of agreement (88%). The radar derived wetland maps and SSURGO demonstrated a lower level of agreement (54%), primarily due to a greater estimate of hydric soils by SSURGO than forested wetlands by the SAR derived maps.