Role of temporal decorrelation in C-band SAR interferometry over boreal and temperate forests

Abstract

The demonstrated efficacy of interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) techniques has spurred the development of innovative SAR satellite missions like BIOMASS and NiSAR, poised for extensive application in forest monitoring. Nevertheless, prevailing methodologies for retrieving forest variables, including forest height and above-ground biomass, encounter substantial limitations. Traditionally, successful forest mapping necessitates a non-zero spatial perpendicular baseline, full polarimetry, and a relatively small (close-to-zero) temporal baseline. This study presents a novel approach for extracting forest biophysical variables by modeling the temporal decorrelation of repeat-pass InSAR coherence. We explore a hypothesis regarding the potential relationship between the temporal decorrelation of InSAR coherence and forest variables, such as tree height and aboveground biomass. This hypothesis is tested across diverse test sites in Finland, Canada, and Germany. Our findings suggest a viable means of extracting forestry information by quantifying the temporal decorrelation of C-Band InSAR coherence. We establish a clear connection between the temporal decay rate and crucial forest variables, such as forest above-ground biomass and tree height.

This work has been supported by the INTERACT Project PID2020-114623RB-C32 funded by MCIN / AEI / 10.13039 / 501100011033 and the NewSpace initiative of Generalitat de Catalunya.

Peer Reviewed

Postprint (author's final draft)