Analysis of TanDEM-X InSAR data aimed at the characterisation of vegetation vertical structure: A case study in injune (Queensland, Australia)

TanDEM-X provides a unique opportunity for environmental studies, being the first single-pass radar interferometer in space which employs two synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites flying in formation with the possibility to adjust baselines by several metres or kilometres. These characteristics allow in principle for the retrieval of forest biophysical parameters based on two mechanisms. Interferometric coherence, which is not affected by temporal decorrelation, can supply information on biomass, and allow for accurate determination of surface height even in the presence of a vegetation layer. In turn, a vegetation canopy height model (CHM) can be generated given information on the terrain elevation (DTM). In this work, the potential and limitations of TanDEM-X data with respect to these bio-physical parameters estimates and in the context of an open woodland structure characterization is explored.