Geometric and radiometric corrections of ERS SAR data for biomass estimation of meadows in rugged terrain

Gertrud Riegler; Roswitha Stolz; Wolfram Mauser

doi:10.1117/12.332754

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11 December 1998 Geometric and radiometric corrections of ERS SAR data for biomass estimation of meadows in rugged terrain

Gertrud Riegler, Roswitha Stolz, Wolfram Mauser

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Proceedings Volume 3499, Remote Sensing for Agriculture, Ecosystems, and Hydrology; (1998) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.332754
Event: Remote Sensing, 1998, Barcelona, Spain

Abstract

For estimating the biomass of meadows in the Ammer catchment (test site) a terrain corrected multitemporal ERS-1/-2 data set consisting of 30 descending and ascending scenes and their coherences from 1995 and 1996 is used. The radar backscatter coefficient received from grassland is influenced by canopy geometry, plant water and soil moisture content. The biomass is a measure for the plant water content and therefore has an influence on the dielectric constant. The geometrical factors in the canopy depend on the plant height, the vegetation density and species distribution. Moreover, the parameters growth height and biomass correlate strongly for the investigated meadows. To validate the investigations, a data base consisting of weekly measurements of plant height as well as wet and dry biomass on selected fields was built up. Statistical analysis is successfully applied to the backscatter values of the test meadows to relate the average backscatter value of each investigated meadow to the measured plant parameters. Furthermore, coherence data were used to investigate their potential to detect temporal biomass changes.

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Gertrud Riegler, Roswitha Stolz, and Wolfram Mauser "Geometric and radiometric corrections of ERS SAR data for biomass estimation of meadows in rugged terrain", Proc. SPIE 3499, Remote Sensing for Agriculture, Ecosystems, and Hydrology, (11 December 1998); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.332754

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