Canopy Height Estimation Using C- and L-Band Insar Coherence Over Savannas and Dry Forests

Continuous and operational monitoring of forest canopy structure plays an important role in assessing the global carbon budget, mapping forest disturbance, planning restoration activities, and informing decision-making. Several studies have taken advantage of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) for forest mapping and monitoring because of its regular reliable acquisitions and high sensitivity to the structural and dielectric properties of the forest. This work utilizes the Senitnel-1 C- and ALOS-2 PALSAR-2 L-band interferometric coherence for canopy height estimation in savanna woodlands. A simplified physics-based Random Volume over Ground (RVoG) model is used for the height estimation. This study uses datasets collected over two test sites, one in Injune, Australia, and the second in Kruger National Park (KNP), South Africa. The proposed method achieved an overall RMSE of 2.39m for canopy height with a Pearson coefficient, r = 0.83 by simultaneous use of both C- and L-band coherence.