Synergetic of PALSAR-2 and Sentinel-1A SAR Polarimetry for Retrieving Aboveground Biomass in Dipterocarp Forest of Malaysia

• Main Authors: Hamdan Omar, Muhamad Afizzul Misman, Abd Rahman Kassim
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2017-06-01
• Series: Applied Sciences
• Subjects: aboveground biomass; tropical forest; microwave sensor system
• Online Access: http://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/7/7/675

Space borne synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data have become one of the primary sources for aboveground biomass (AGB) estimation of forests. However, studies have indicated that limitations occur when a single sensor system is employed, especially in tropical forests. Hence, there is potential for improving estimates if two or more different sensor systems are used. Studies on integrating multiple sensor systems for estimation of AGB over Malaysia’s tropical forests are scarce. This study investigated the use of PALSAR-2 L-band and Sentinel-1A C-band SAR polarizations to estimates the AGB over 5.25 million ha of the lowland, hill, and upper hill forests in Peninsular Malaysia. Polarized images, i.e., HH–HV from PALSAR-2 and VV–VH from Sentinel-1A have been utilized to produce several variables for predictions of the AGB. Simple linear and multiple linear regression analysis was performed to identify the best predictor. The study concluded that although limitations exist in the estimates, the combination of all polarizations from both PALSAR-2 and Sentiel-1A SAR data able to increase the accuracy and reduced the root means square error (RMSE) up to 14 Mg ha−1 compared to the estimation resulted from single polarization. A spatially distributed map of AGB reported the total AGB within the study area was about 1.82 trillion Mg of the year 2016.