Multi-polarization Envisat-ASAR images as a function of leaf area index (LAI) of White Poplar and Desert Date plantations

Abstract

The relationship between leaf area index (LAI) of plantations and multi-polarization Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data (Envisat-ASAR) was investigated for White Poplar (Populus tomentosa Carr) and Desert Date (Elaeagnus angustifolius) in Heihe district, northwest china. The study showed that, for homogeneous White Poplar plantations, HH and HV polarization data (where H and V represent horizontal and vertical polarizations, respectively, and the first of the two letters refers to the transmission polarization and the second to the received polarization) were sensitive to LAI and the r2 (logistic relationship fits) values between HH polarization and LAI, 0.56 and 0.58 on 25 and 28 June images respectively, was much higher than that for the other polarizations of VV, VH and HV. For Desert Date plantations, the heterogeneity of the forests results in a more complex backscattering than that for White Poplar. Incidence angle also plays an important role in SAR backscattering, so a suitable SAR mode should be chosen to avoid scattering saturation when the LAI and incidence angle exceed certain values. The logistic polarization ratios of HH/HV and VV/VH showed varying correlation with LAI over White Poplar plantations, probably due to incidence angle.