C-BAND REPEAT-PASS INTERFEROMETRIC SAR OBSERVATIONS OF THE FOREST

Properties of ERS-1 C-band repeat pass interferometric SAR information for a forested area are studied, The intensity information is rather limited but, including coherence and effective interferometric SAR (IN SAR) height, more information about the forest parameters can be obtai ned via satellite, Such information is also important for correction o f INSAR derived topographic maps, Coherence properties have been used to identify forested/nonforested areas and the interferometric effecti ve height of the forest determined by comparison to a DEM of the area, We have developed a model to relate basic forest properties to INSAR observations, These show that the coherence and interferometric effect ive height of a forested area change between image pairs, The model de monstrates how these properties are related to the temporal decorrelat ion and the scattering from the vegetation canopy and the ground surfa ce, Gaps in the vegetation are found to be important in the characteri zation of boreal forests.