Applications of ALOS PALSAR for monitoring biophysical parameters of a degraded black mangrove (Avicennia germinans) forest

In addition to backscatter coefficients, stepwise multiple regression models of the mangrove biophysical parameter data were developed based on texture parameters derived from the grey level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM) of the ALOS data. A similar pattern to the backscatter relationships was observed for models based on the single polarization unfiltered data, with fairly strong coefficients of determination calculated for LAI and stem height when the dead stands were excluded. In contrast, similar coefficients of determination with biophysical parameters were observed for the dual and quad polarization multiple regression models when the dead stands were both included and excluded from the analyses. An estimated mangrove LAI map of the study area, derived from a multiple regression model of the quad polarization texture parameters, showed comparable spatial patterns of degradation to a map derived from higher spatial resolution optical satellite data.