Development of the EcoSAR P-band single pass InSAR sensor and results from the 2014 flight campaign

Temilola E. Fatoyinbo, NASA GSFC, lola.fatoyinbo@nasa.gov (Presenter)
Rafael Rincon, NASA/GSFC, rafael.rincon@nasa.gov
Batuhan Osmanoglu, USRA - NASA GSFC, batuhan.osmanoglu@nasa.gov
Kenneth Jon Ranson, NASA GSFC, kenneth.j.ranson@nasa.gov
Guoqing Sun, NASA GSFC/UMD, guoqing.sun@nasa.gov
Martin Perrine, NASA GSFC, mmartin.perrine@nasa.gov
Manohar Deshpande, NASA GSFC, manohar.deshpande@nasa.gov
SeungKuk Lee, NASA / GSFC, seungkuk.lee@nasa.gov

Better monitoring techniques are needed to supply objective information on forest biomass and biomass change, locating and quantifying the terrestrial carbon sinks, and improving understanding of their dynamics. In this poster, we will introduce the EcoSAR instrument, an airborne Polarimetric and Interferometric P-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) instrument that provides two- and three-dimensional fine scale measurements of terrestrial ecosystem structure and biomass. Many tropical and some temperate forests’ biomasses can reach up to 600 Mg/ha or more, which cannot be measured with current SAR capabilities. Interferometric SAR (InSAR) and Polarimetric InSAR (PolInSAR) are able to measure vegetation structure and biomass, without any saturation at longer wavelengths. SAR measurements are needed for frequently mapping global vegetation cover and changes due to natural and human-induced disturbances. P-Band polarimetric backscatter provides the unique capability of mapping the forest cover, disturbance from deforestation and degradation, forest recovery, wetland inundation, and aboveground biomass. The EcoSAR system employs a digital beamforming architecture, a digital waveform generator and receiver system, and advanced dual-polarization array antennas. It is a highly reconfigurable polarimetric and interferometric P-band SAR instrument designed specifically for accurately characterizing ecosystems structure and quantifying very high biomasses. In this presentation we will give an overview of the EcoSAR system and its applications, followed by a description of the data acquired during the first flight campaign to the Bahamas and Costa Rica in 2014 and finally we will show the first images and science retrievals generated using the EcoSAR sensor.

Presentation Type:  Poster

Session:  Theme 3: Future research direction and priorities: perspectives relevant to the next decadal survey   (Mon 4:30 PM)

Associated Project(s): 

• Related Activity: Related Activity or Previously Funded CC&E Activity not listed ...details

Poster Location ID: 178