Integration of high-resolution optical and SAR satellite remote sensing datasets for aboveground biomass estimation in s
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Integration of high-resolution optical and SAR satellite remote sensing datasets for aboveground biomass estimation in subtropical pine forest, Pakistan Aqeela M. Akhtar & Waqas A. Qazi & Sajid Rashid Ahmad & Hammad Gilani Syed Amer Mahmood & Ansir Rasool
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Received: 13 December 2019 / Accepted: 11 August 2020 # Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
Abstract In this study, we investigate stand-alone and combined Pleiades high-resolution passive optical and ALOS PALSAR active Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite imagery for aboveground biomass (AGB) estimation in subtropical mountainous Chir Pine (Pinus roxburghii) forest in Murree Forest Division, Punjab, Pakistan. Spectral vegetation indices (NDVI, SAVI, etc.) and sigma nought HV-polarization backscatter dB values are derived from processing optical and SAR datasets, respectively, and modeled against field-measured AGB values through various regression models (linear, nonlinear, multi-linear). For combination of multiple spectral indices, NDVI, TNDVI, and MSAVI2 performed the best with model R2/RMSE A. M. Akhtar : S. R. Ahmad College of Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of the Punjab, Quaid-e-Azam Campus, Lahore, Punjab 54590, Pakistan A. M. Akhtar Development Working Plan Circle, Punjab Forest Department, 108 Ravi Road, Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan
values of 0.86/47.3 tons/ha. AGB modeling with SAR sigma nought dB values gives low model R2 value of 0.39. The multi-linear combination of SAR sigma nought dB values with spectral indices exhibits more variability as compared with the combined spectral indices model. The Leave-One-Out-Cross-Validation (LOOCV) results follow closely the behavior of the model statistics. SAR data reaches AGB saturation at around 120–140 tons/ha, with the region of high sensitivity around 50–130 tons/ha; the SAR-derived AGB results show clear underestimation at higher AGB values. The models involving only spectral indices underestimate AGB at low values (< 60 tons/ha). This study presents biomass estimation maps of the Chir Pine forest in the study area and also the suitability of optical and SAR satellite imagery for estimating various biomass ranges. The results of this work can be utilized towards environmental monitoring and policy-level applications, including forest ecosystem management, environmental impact assessment, and performance-based REDD+ payment distribution.
W. A. Qazi : H. Gilani (*) Geospatial Research & Education Lab (GREL), Department of Space Science, Institute of Space Technology, Islamabad 44000, Pakistan e-mail: [email protected]
Keywords Chir pine (Pinus roxburghii) . Spectral vegetation indices . Radar backscatter . Regression modeling . Forest ecosystem
S. A. Mahmood Department of Space Science, University of the Punjab, Quaid-e-Azam Campus, Lahore, Punjab 54590, Pakistan
Introduction
A. Rasool Green Pakistan Program, Punjab Forest Department, Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan
Forests play a major role in carbon sequestration and the quantification and monitoring of spatio-temporal patterns of fo
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