Assessment of C-band synthetic aperture radar data for mapping and monitoring Coastal Plain forested wetlands in the Mid-Atlantic Region, U.S.A.

Multi-temporal C-band SAR data (C-HH and C-VV), collected by ERS-2 and ENVISAT satellite systems, are compared with field observations of hydrology (i.e., inundation and soil moisture) and National Wetland Inventory maps (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) of a large forested wetland complex adjacent to the Patuxent and Middle Patuxent Rivers, tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay. Multi-temporal C-band SAR data were shown to be capable of mapping forested wetlands and monitoring hydroperiod (i.e., temporal fluctuations in inundation and soil moisture) at the study site, and the discrimination of wetland from upland was improved with 10 m digital elevation data. Principal component analysis was used to summarize the multi-temporal SAR data sets and to isolate the dominant temporal trend in inundation and soil moisture (i.e., relative hydroperiod). Significant positive, linear correlations were found between the first principal component and percent area flooded and soil moisture. The correlation (r2) between the first principal component (PC1) of multi-temporal C-HH SAR data and average soil moisture was 0.88 (p = < .0001) during the leaf-off season and 0.87 (p = < .0001) during the leaf-on season, while the correlation between PC1 and average percent area inundated was 0.82 (p = < .0001) and 0.47 (p = .0016) during the leaf-off and leaf-on seasons, respectively. When compared to field data, the SAR forested wetland maps identified areas that were flooded for 25% of the time with 63–96% agreement and areas flooded for 5% of the time with 44–89% agreement, depending on polarization and time of year. The results are encouraging and justify further studies to attempt to quantify the relative SAR-derived hydroperiod classes in terms of physical variables and also to test the application of SAR data to more diverse landscapes at a broader scale. The present evidence suggests that the SAR data will significantly improve routine wooded wetland mapping.