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ISSN 2070-7401 (Print), ISSN 2411-0280 (Online)
Sovremennye problemy distantsionnogo zondirovaniya Zemli iz kosmosa
CURRENT PROBLEMS IN REMOTE SENSING OF THE EARTH FROM SPACE

  

Sovremennye problemy distantsionnogo zondirovaniya Zemli iz kosmosa, 2025, V. 22, No. 4, pp. 101-117

PolInSAR-based estimation of young pine forest height in winter using TerraSAR-X/TanDEM-X data

T.N. Chimitdorzhiev 1 , I.I. Kirbizhekova 1 , A.V. Dmitriev 1 
1 Institute of Physical Materials Science SB RAS, Ulan-Ude, Russia
Accepted: 05.06.2025
DOI: 10.21046/2070-7401-2025-22-4-101-117
In the context of carbon neutrality challenges, reliable quantification of carbon sequestration by Siberian boreal forests is crucial, particularly for vast areas currently undergoing post-fire recovery. Such assessments require accurate measurements of key forest biophysical parameters — biomass and height, including these of young trees. This study presents a novel methodology for estimating winter-time height of young pine regrowth using fully polarimetric X-band bistatic radar data from TerraSAR-X/TanDEM-X. The proposed technique analyzes the multimodal distribution of the interferometric phase of surface scattering component and estimates the range of its most probable values, with surface scattering component identified through PolInSAR (Polarimetric Interferometric SAR) processing. The fundamental premise is that snow cover on upper branches and needles, combined with the vegetation itself, forms a reflecting surface in areas with clustered tree crowns. This composite surface represents the upper phase center, while the snow-covered ground between the tree clusters constitutes the lower phase center of surface scattering. The vertical separation between these centers provides an estimate of average height of sparse young forest stands. The height estimation procedure involves measuring the width of the dominant mode in the surface scattering phase distribution through analysis of the probability density function derivative and theoretical range standard deviation (2–3)σ. Validation results demonstrate the method’s applicability for specific stages of pine forest regeneration and reforestation. A key limitation of this approach is that the measurable height difference between the phase centers (for surface and volume scattering mechanisms) must remain within the system’s height ambiguity limit 2π.
Keywords: satellite radar, X-band, polarimetric interferometry, PolInSAR, scattering mechanisms, surface scattering, double-bounce scattering, volume scattering, phase shift, forest regeneration, snow cover
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