Forest Height Estimates for Boreal Forest Using L and X Band Pol-InSAR and Hutscat Scatterometer

Abstract

In this paper we present a airborne polarimetric interferometric SAr measurement campaign, carried out in Finland in 2003. The main aim of the FinSAR campaign was to validate POLinSAR tree height retrieval algorithms for boreal forest and it was arranged jointly by Helsinki University of Technology (TKK) and German Aerospace Center (DLR) Microwaves and Radar Institute. During the campaign ariborne DLR's E-SAR radar (operating at L and X band) and TKK's HUTSCAT scatterometer (operating at X- and C- band) were operated over a boreal forest test site to retrieve tree height. The tree height from fully polarimetric L-band SAR data was retrieved by Random Volume over Ground inversion and it was compared with scatterometer measurements and forest stand wise inventory tree height values. Additionally we calculated tree height from X band single polarisation interferometric images by means of restricted RVoG model inversion and compared teh results with other data. Our results show that the tree heith values, estimated by means of two different radar instruments are in good agreement. We also found that single band X band data allows to calculate the mean tree height with surprinsingly good accuracy.