L- and P-band backscatter intensity for biomass retrieval in hemiboreal forest

At present, the greatest source of uncertainty in the global carbon cycle is in the terrestrial ecosystems. In order to reduce these uncertainties it is necessary to provide consistent and accurate global estimates of the world forest biomass. One of the most promising methods for obtaining such estimates is through polarimetric SAR backscatter measurements at low frequencies. In this paper, the relation between polarimetric SAR backscatter at L- and P-bands and forest biomass is investigated using data acquired within the BioSAR-I campaign in southern Sweden during 2007. Methods for estimating biomass on stand level using these data are developed and evaluated, and the results for the two frequency bands are compared. For L-band data, the best results were obtained using HV-polarized backscatter only, giving estimation errors in terms of root mean square errors (RMSE) between 31% and 46% of the mean biomass for stands with biomass ranging from 10 to 290 t/ha, and an (adjusted) coefficient of determination (R2) between 0.4 and 0.6. For P-band data, the results are better than for L-band. Models using HV- or HH-polarized P-band backscatter give similar results, as does a model including both HV and HH. The RMSEs were between 18 and 27%, and the R2 values were between 0.7 and 0.8.

► L- and P-band backscatter data from a hemi-boreal forest were investigated.
► The P- band data was found to be stable over a period of 2 months.
► Regression models for biomass estimation were developed.
► P-band was found to give lower biomass estimation errors than L-band.
► Using P-band HV and/or HH data, the RMSE was limited to 18-27% of the mean biomass.