Imaging ionospheric inhomogeneities using spaceborne synthetic aperture radar

We present a technique and results of 2-D imaging of Faraday rotation and total electron content using spaceborne L band polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (PolSAR). The results are obtained by processing PolSAR data collected using the Phased Array type L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (PALSAR) on board the Advanced Land Observation Satellite. Distinguished ionospheric inhomogeneities are captured in 2-D images from space with relatively high resolutions of hundreds of meters to a couple of kilometers in auroral-, middle-, and low-latitude regions. The observed phenomena include aurora-associated ionospheric enhancement arcs, the middle-latitude trough, traveling ionospheric disturbances, and plasma bubbles, as well as ionospheric irregularities. These demonstrate a new capability of spaceborne synthetic aperture radar that will not only provide measurements to correction of ionospheric effects in Earth science imagery but also significantly benefit ionospheric studies

ALOS-2/PALSAR-2 Calibration, Validation, Science and Applications

Twelve edited original papers on the latest and state-of-art results of topics ranging from calibration, validation, and science to a wide range of applications using ALOS-2/PALSAR-2. We hope you will find them useful for your future research

Assessment of multi-temporal, multi-sensor radar and ancillary spatial data for grasslands monitoring in Ireland using machine learning approaches

Accurate inventories of grasslands are important for studies of carbon dynamics, biodiversity conservation and agricultural management. For regions with persistent cloud cover the use of multi-temporal synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data provides an attractive solution for generating up-to-date inventories of grasslands. This is even more appealing considering the data that will be available from upcoming missions such as Sentinel-1 and ALOS-2. In this study, the performance of three machine learning algorithms; Random Forests (RF), Support Vector Machines (SVM) and the relatively underused Extremely Randomised Trees (ERT) is evaluated for discriminating between grassland types over two large heterogeneous areas of Ireland using multi-temporal, multi-sensor radar and ancillary spatial datasets. A detailed accuracy assessment shows the efficacy of the three algorithms to classify different types of grasslands. Overall accuracies ≥ 88.7% (with kappa coefficient of 0.87) were achieved for the single frequency classifications and maximum accuracies of 97.9% (kappa coefficient of 0.98) for the combined frequency classifications. For most datasets, the ERT classifier outperforms SVM and RF

Quantitative Estimation of Surface Soil Moisture in Agricultural Landscapes using Spaceborne Synthetic Aperture Radar Imaging at Different Frequencies and Polarizations

Soil moisture and its distribution in space and time plays an important role in the surface energy balance at the soil-atmosphere interface. It is a key variable influencing the partitioning of solar energy into latent and sensible heat flux as well as the partitioning of precipitation into runoff and percolation. Due to their large spatial variability, estimation of spatial patterns of soil moisture from field measurements is difficult and not feasible for large scale analyses. In the past decades, Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) remote sensing has proven its potential to quantitatively estimate near surface soil moisture at high spatial resolutions. Since the knowledge of the basic SAR concepts is important to understand the impact of different natural terrain features on the quantitative estimation of soil moisture and other surface parameters, the fundamental principles of synthetic aperture radar imaging are discussed. Also the two spaceborne SAR missions whose data was used in this study, the ENVISAT of the European Space Agency (ESA) and the ALOS of the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), are introduced. Subsequently, the two essential surface properties in the field of radar remote sensing, surface soil moisture and surface roughness are defined, and the established methods of their measurement are described. The in situ data used in this study, as well as the research area, the River Rur catchment, with the individual test sites where the data was collected between 2007 and 2010, are specified. On this basis, the important scattering theories in radar polarimetry are discussed and their application is demonstrated using novel polarimetric ALOS/PALSAR data. A critical review of different classical approaches to invert soil moisture from SAR imaging is provided. Five prevalent models have been chosen with the aim to provide an overview of the evolution of ideas and techniques in the field of soil moisture estimation from active microwave data. As the core of this work, a new semi-empirical model for the inversion of surface soil moisture from dual polarimetric L-band SAR data is introduced. This novel approach utilizes advanced polarimetric decomposition techniques to correct for the disturbing effects from surface roughness and vegetation on the soil moisture retrieval without the use of a priori knowledge. The land use specific algorithms for bare soil, grassland, sugar beet, and winter wheat allow quantitative estimations with accuracies in the order of 4 Vol.-%. Application of remotely sensed soil moisture patterns is demonstrated on the basis of mesoscale SAR data by investigating the variability of soil moisture patterns at different spatial scales ranging from field scale to catchment scale. The results show that the variability of surface soil moisture decreases with increasing wetness states at all scales. Finally, the conclusions from this dissertational research are summarized and future perspectives on how to extend the proposed model by means of improved ground based measurements and upcoming advances in sensor technology are discussed. The results obtained in this thesis lead to the conclusion that state-of-the-art spaceborne dual polarimetric L-band SAR systems are not only suitable to accurately retrieve surface soil moisture contents of bare as well as of vegetated agricultural fields and grassland, but for the first time also allow investigating within-field spatial heterogeneities from space

Multifrequency and Full-Polarimetric SAR Assessment for Estimating Above Ground Biomass and Leaf Area Index in the Amazon Várzea Wetlands

The aim of this study is to evaluate the potential of multifrequency and Full-polarimetric Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data for retrieving both Above Ground Biomass (AGB) and Leaf Area Index (LAI) in the Amazon floodplain forest environment. Two specific questions were proposed: (a) Does multifrequency SAR data perform more efficiently than single-frequency data in estimating LAI and AGB of várzea forests?; and (b) Are quad-pol SAR data more efficient than single- and dual-pol SAR data in estimating LAI and AGB of várzea forest? To answer these questions, data from different sources (TerraSAR-X Multi Look Ground Range Detected (MGD), Radarsat-2 Standard Qual-Pol, advanced land observing satellite (ALOS)/ phased-arrayed L-band SAR (PALSAR-1). Fine-beam dual (FDB) and quad Polarimetric mode) were combined in 10 different scenarios to model both LAI and AGB. A R-platform routine was implemented to automatize the selection of the best regression models. Results indicated that ALOS/PALSAR variables provided the best estimates for both LAI and AGB. Single-frequency L-band data was more efficient than multifrequency SAR. PALSAR-FDB HV-dB provided the best LAI estimates during low-water season. The best AGB estimates at high-water season were obtained by PALSAR-1 quad-polarimetric data. The top three features for estimating AGB were proportion of volumetric scattering and both the first and second dominant phase difference between trihedral and dihedral scattering, extracted from Van Zyl and Touzi decomposition, respectively. The models selected for both AGB and LAI were parsimonious. The Root Mean Squared Error (RMSEcv), relative overall RMSEcv (%) and R2 value for LAI were 0.61%, 0.55% and 13%, respectively, and for AGB, they were 74.6 t·ha−1, 0.88% and 46%, respectively. These results indicate that L-band (ALOS/PALSAR-1) has a high potential to provide quantitative and spatial information about structural forest attributes in floodplain forest environments. This potential may be extended not only with PALSAR-2 data but also to forthcoming missions (e.g., NISAR, Global Ecosystems Dynamics Investigation Lidar (GEDI), BIOMASS, Tandem-L) for promoting wall-to-wall AGB mapping with a high level of accuracy in dense tropical forest regions worldwide

Evaluación de la degradación de la tierra usando la entropía de shannon sobre imágenes polarimétricas en desiertos costeros Patagónicos

En esta investigación se focalizó en la Entropía de Shannon (ES) para la caracterización de imágenes polarimétricas de apertura sintética. Este parámetro analiza la contribución de la información por pixeles individuales para toda la imagen en la evaluación de la degradación de la tierra en imágenes ALOS PALSAR. Escenas de polarización dual y cuádruple fueron adquiridas bajo el proyecto SAOCOM (Satélite Argentino de Observación con Microondas) en 2010 y 2011, del desierto costero noreste patagónico, Argentina. Los mapas fueron verificados con información de alta verosimilitud para la misma área de estudio. Los resultados muestran que la ES puede describir y precisar las características de las imágenes de manera obvia, de tal manera que representa un valor de referencia para la detección de la degradación de la tierra y la extracción de las características de los diferentes estados y transiciones.We focus on Shannon Entropy (SE) for the characterization of polarimetric Synthetic Aperture Radar (PolSAR) images. This approach analyzes the information contribution made by individual pixels to the whole image for assessment of land degradation in the information content of ALOS PALSAR images. Additionally, the performance of other polarization parameters, and polarization decomposition is illustrated and discussed. Dual-Pol and Quad-Pol scenes have been acquired under the SAOCOM (Satélite Argentino de Observación con Microondas, Spanish for Argentine Microwaves Observation Satellite) project in 2010 and 2011, from northeastern Patagonian coastal desert, Argentina. The accuracy of the SE map was assessed using a set of ground observations based on remotely sensed data that have higher accuracy. The results show that the SE can describe and determine the image features more obviously in the study area, so that it represents an important reference value for land degradation detection and land status characteristics extraction .Fil: del Valle, Hector Francisco. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Nacional Patagonico; ArgentinaFil: Hardtke, Leonardo Andrés. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Nacional Patagonico; ArgentinaFil: Blanco, Paula Daniela. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Nacional Patagonico; ArgentinaFil: Sione, Walter Fabian. Universidad Autónoma de Entre Ríos. Fac de Ciencia y Tecnologia. Centro Regional de Geomatica; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Luján; Argentin

Estimation of Forest Biomass and Faraday Rotation using Ultra High Frequency Synthetic Aperture Radar

Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data in the Ultra High Frequency (UHF; 300 MHz – 3 GHz)) band have been shown to be strongly dependent of forest biomass, which is a poorly estimated variable in the global carbon cycle. In this thesis UHF-band SAR data from the fairly flat hemiboreal test site Remningstorp in southern Sweden were analysed. The data were collected on several occasions with different moisture conditions during the spring of 2007. Regression models for biomass estimation on stand level (0.5-9 ha) were developed for each date on which SAR data were acquired. For L-band (centre frequency 1.3 GHz) the best estimation model was based on HV-polarized backscatter, giving a root mean squared error (rmse) between 31% and 46% of the mean biomass. For P-band (centre frequency 340 MHz), regression models including HH, HV or HH and HV backscatter gave an rmse between 18% and 27%. Little or no saturation effects were observed up to 290 t/ha for P-band. A model based on physical-optics has been developed and was used to predict HH-polarized SAR data with frequencies from 20 MHz to 500 MHz from a set of vertical trunks standing on an undulating ground surface. The model shows that ground topography is a critical issue in SAR imaging for these frequencies. A regression model for biomass estimation which includes a correction for ground slope was developed using multi-polarized P-band SAR data from Remningstorp as well as from the boreal test site Krycklan in northern Sweden. The latter test site has pronounced topographic variability. It was shown that the model was able to partly compensate for moisture variability, and that the model gave an rmse of 22-33% when trained using data from Krycklan and evaluated using data from Remningstorp. Regression modelling based on P-band backscatter was also used to estimate biomass change using data acquired in Remningstorp during the spring 2007 and during the fall 2010. The results show that biomass change can be measured with an rmse of about 15% or 20 tons/ha. This suggests that not only deforestation, but also forest growth and degradation (e.g. thinning) can be measured using P-band SAR data. The thesis also includes result on Faraday rotation, which is an ionospheric effect which can have a significant impact on spaceborne UHF-band SAR images. Faraday rotation angles are estimated in spaceborne L-band SAR data. Estimates based on distributed targets and calibration targets with high signal to clutter ratios are found to be in very good agreement. Moreover, a strong correlation with independent measurements of Total Electron Content is found, further validating the estimates

The European Space Agency BIOMASS mission: Measuring forest above-ground biomass from space

The primary objective of the European Space Agency's 7th Earth Explorer mission, BIOMASS, is to determine the worldwide distribution of forest above-ground biomass (AGB) in order to reduce the major uncertainties in calculations of carbon stocks and fluxes associated with the terrestrial biosphere, including carbon fluxes associated with Land Use Change, forest degradation and forest regrowth. To meet this objective it will carry, for the first time in space, a fully polarimetric P-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR). Three main products will be provided: global maps of both AGB and forest height, with a spatial resolution of 200 m, and maps of severe forest disturbance at 50 m resolution (where “global” is to be understood as subject to Space Object tracking radar restrictions). After launch in 2022, there will be a 3-month commissioning phase, followed by a 14-month phase during which there will be global coverage by SAR tomography. In the succeeding interferometric phase, global polarimetric interferometry Pol-InSAR coverage will be achieved every 7 months up to the end of the 5-year mission. Both Pol-InSAR and TomoSAR will be used to eliminate scattering from the ground (both direct and double bounce backscatter) in forests. In dense tropical forests AGB can then be estimated from the remaining volume scattering using non-linear inversion of a backscattering model. Airborne campaigns in the tropics also indicate that AGB is highly correlated with the backscatter from around 30 m above the ground, as measured by tomography. In contrast, double bounce scattering appears to carry important information about the AGB of boreal forests, so ground cancellation may not be appropriate and the best approach for such forests remains to be finalized. Several methods to exploit these new data in carbon cycle calculations have already been demonstrated. In addition, major mutual gains will be made by combining BIOMASS data with data from other missions that will measure forest biomass, structure, height and change, including the NASA Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation lidar deployed on the International Space Station after its launch in December 2018, and the NASA-ISRO NISAR L- and S-band SAR, due for launch in 2022. More generally, space-based measurements of biomass are a core component of a carbon cycle observation and modelling strategy developed by the Group on Earth Observations. Secondary objectives of the mission include imaging of sub-surface geological structures in arid environments, generation of a true Digital Terrain Model without biases caused by forest cover, and measurement of glacier and icesheet velocities. In addition, the operations needed for ionospheric correction of the data will allow very sensitive estimates of ionospheric Total Electron Content and its changes along the dawn-dusk orbit of the mission

A study on landuse and landcover classification using microwave data in Joida taluk of Uttara Kannada district, Karnataka

The study has been conducted for land use and land cover classification by using SAR data. The study included examining of ALOS 2 PALSAR L- band quad pol (HH, HV, VH and VV) SAR data for LULC classification. The SAR data was pre-processed first which included multilook, radiometric calibration, geometric correction, speckle filtering, SAR Polarimetry and decomposition. For land use land cover classification of ALOS-2-PALSAR data sets, the supervised Random forest classifier was used. Training samples were selected with the help of ground truth data. The area was classified under 7 different classes such as dense forest, moderate dense forest, scrub/sparse forest, plantation, agriculture, water body, and settlements. Among them the highest area was covered by dense forest (108647ha) followed by horticulture plantation (57822 ha) and scrub/Sparse forest (49238 ha) and lowest area was covered by moderate dense forest (11589 ha).   Accuracy assessment was performed after classification. The overall accuracy of SAR data was 80.36% and Kappa Coefficient was 0.76.  Based on SAR backscatter reflectance such as single, double, and volumetric scattering mechanism different land use classes were identified

L-band SAR co-polarized phase difference modeling for corn fields

This research aims at modeling the microwave backscatter of corn fields by coupling an incoherent, interaction-based scattering model with a semi-empirical bulk vegetation dielectric model. The scattering model is fitted to co-polarized phase difference measurements over several corn fields imaged with fully polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images with incidence angles ranging from 20° to 60°. The dataset comprised two field campaigns, one over Canada with the Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar (UAVSAR, 1.258 GHz) and the other one over Argentina with Advanced Land Observing Satellite 2 (ALOS-2) Phased Array type L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (PALSAR-2) (ALOS-2/PALSAR-2, 1.236 GHz), totaling 60 data measurements over 28 grown corn fields at peak biomass with stalk gravimetric moisture larger than 0.8 g/g. Co-polarized phase differences were computed using a maximum likelihood estimation technique from each field’s measured speckled sample histograms. After minimizing the difference between the model and data measurements for varying incidence angles by a nonlinear least-squares fitting, well agreement was found with a root mean squared error of 24.3° for co-polarized phase difference measurements in the range of -170.3° to -19.13°. Model parameterization by stalk gravimetric moisture instead of its complex dielectric constant is also addressed. Further validation was undertaken for the UAVSAR dataset on earlier corn stages, where overall sensitivity to stalk height, stalk gravimetric moisture, and stalk area density agreed with ground data, with the sensitivity to stalk diameter being the weakest. This study provides a new perspective on the use of co-polarized phase differences in retrieving corn stalk features through inverse modeling techniques from space.This research was partially funded by the Argentinean National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET, project PICT 2015 N◦3689), by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (project CICYT RTI2018-099008-B-C21/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 “Sensing with pioneering opportunistic techniques”) and by the grant to “CommSensLab-UPC” Excellence Research Unit Maria de Maeztu (MINECO grant).Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version