Exploiting TanDEM-X Pol-InSAR Data for Forest Structure Observation and Potential Synergies with NASA's Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation Lidar

TanDEM-X forms together with TerraSAR-X the first single-pass polarimetric interferometer in space. This allows for the first time the acquisition and analysis of Single-, Dual-, and Quad-Pol-InSAR data without the disturbing effect of temporal decorrelation globally. Exploring the potential of (polarimetric) interferometric techniques to estimate parameters related to the vertical structure of forests, TanDEM-X data have been used to demonstrate forest height estimation, biomass classification and vertical structure characterization. The status of these applications is reviewed in this paper. Moreover, potential synergies with NASA's Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation Lidar (GEDI) Mission - that aims a global estimation of forest structure - are discussed towards the development of a methodology that will allow the fusion of the two structural measurements.