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Title: Dependence of radar backscatter on coniferous forest biomass

Abstract

This paper discusses two independent experimental efforts which have examined the dependence of radar backscatter on aboveground biomass of mono specie conifer forests using polarimetric airborne SAR data at P-, L- and C-bands. Plantations of maritime pines near Landes, France range in age from 8 to 46 years with aboveground biomass between 5 and 105 tons/ha. Loblolly pine stands established on abandoned agricultural fields near Duke, NC range in age from 4 to 90 years and extend the range of aboveground biomass to 560 tons/ha for the older stands. These two experimental forests are largely complementary with respect to biomass. Radar backscatter is found to increase approximately linearly with increasing biomass until it saturates at a biomass level that depends on the radar frequency. The biomass saturation level is about 200 tons/ha at P-band and 100 tons/ha at L-band, and the C-band backscattering coefficient shows much less sensitivity to total aboveground biomass.

Authors:
;  [1]; ;  [2];  [3];  [4]
  1. Radiation Lab., Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI (US)
  2. Univ. Paul Sabatier, Toulouse (FR)
  3. Environmental Research Inst. of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI (US)
  4. School of Environment, Duke Univ., Durham, NC (US)
Publication Date:
OSTI Identifier:
5119514
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers); (United States)
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 30:2; Journal ID: ISSN 0196-2892
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
09 BIOMASS FUELS; 54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES; 37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY; 47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION; BIOMASS; REMOTE SENSING; NORTH CAROLINA; FORESTS; SYNTHETIC-APERTURE RADAR; BACKSCATTERING; EXPERIMENTAL DATA; PERFORMANCE TESTING; POLARIMETRY; SENSITIVITY; DATA; DEVELOPED COUNTRIES; ENERGY SOURCES; INFORMATION; MEASURING INSTRUMENTS; NORTH AMERICA; NUMERICAL DATA; RADAR; RANGE FINDERS; RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES; SCATTERING; TESTING; USA; 090700* - Biomass Fuels- Resources- (1990-); 540210 - Environment, Terrestrial- Basic Studies- (1990-); 400101 - Activation, Nuclear Reaction, Radiometric & Radiochemical Procedures; 440700 - Geophysical & Meteorological Instrumentation- (1990-)

Citation Formats

Dobson, M C, Ulaby, F T, LeToan, T, Beaudoin, A, Kasischke, E S, and Christensen, N. Dependence of radar backscatter on coniferous forest biomass. United States: N. p., 1992. Web. doi:10.1109/36.134090.
Dobson, M C, Ulaby, F T, LeToan, T, Beaudoin, A, Kasischke, E S, & Christensen, N. Dependence of radar backscatter on coniferous forest biomass. United States. https://doi.org/10.1109/36.134090
Dobson, M C, Ulaby, F T, LeToan, T, Beaudoin, A, Kasischke, E S, and Christensen, N. 1992. "Dependence of radar backscatter on coniferous forest biomass". United States. https://doi.org/10.1109/36.134090.
@article{osti_5119514,
title = {Dependence of radar backscatter on coniferous forest biomass},
author = {Dobson, M C and Ulaby, F T and LeToan, T and Beaudoin, A and Kasischke, E S and Christensen, N},
abstractNote = {This paper discusses two independent experimental efforts which have examined the dependence of radar backscatter on aboveground biomass of mono specie conifer forests using polarimetric airborne SAR data at P-, L- and C-bands. Plantations of maritime pines near Landes, France range in age from 8 to 46 years with aboveground biomass between 5 and 105 tons/ha. Loblolly pine stands established on abandoned agricultural fields near Duke, NC range in age from 4 to 90 years and extend the range of aboveground biomass to 560 tons/ha for the older stands. These two experimental forests are largely complementary with respect to biomass. Radar backscatter is found to increase approximately linearly with increasing biomass until it saturates at a biomass level that depends on the radar frequency. The biomass saturation level is about 200 tons/ha at P-band and 100 tons/ha at L-band, and the C-band backscattering coefficient shows much less sensitivity to total aboveground biomass.},
doi = {10.1109/36.134090},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/5119514}, journal = {IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers); (United States)},
issn = {0196-2892},
number = ,
volume = 30:2,
place = {United States},
year = {Sun Mar 01 00:00:00 EST 1992},
month = {Sun Mar 01 00:00:00 EST 1992}
}