C‐band radar observes water level change in swamp forests

Abstract

C‐band radar pulses backscatter from the upper canopy of swamp forests, and consequently interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) analysis of C‐band imagery has not been exploited to study water level changes in swamp forests. This article explores C‐band ERS‐1 (European Remote Sensing Satellite) and ERS‐2 InSAR data over swamp forests composed of moderately dense trees with a medium‐low canopy closure in southeastern Louisiana to measure water level changes beneath tree cover.Wetlands cover more than 4% of the Earth's land surface and interact with hydrologic, biogeochemical, and sediment transport processes that are fundamental in understanding ecological and climatic changes [Alsdorf et al, 2003; Prigent et al., 2001 ; Melack and Forsberg, 2000; Dunne et al., 1998]. Measurement of water level changes in wetlands, and consequently of changes in water storage capacity, provides a required input for hydrologic models, and is required to comprehensively assess flood hazards [e.g., Coe, 1998].