The potential of synthetic aperture radar (sar) for quantifying the biomass of australia's woodlands

The potential of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) for estimating the above ground and component biomass of woodlands in Australia is demonstrated using two case studies. Case Study I (Injune, central Queensland) shows that JERS-1 SAR L HH data can be related more to the trunk than the leaf and branch' biomass of woodlands. A strong relationship between L HH and above ground biomass is obtained when low biomass pasture sites are included. Case Study II (Talwood, southern Queensland) determines that L and P band data can be related both to trunk and branch biomass, due to the similarity in the orientation and size of these scattering elements, and also to total above ground biomass. Saturation of the C, L and P band data occurred at approximately 20-30 Mg/ha, 60-80 Mg/ha and 80-100 Mg/ha. These preliminary results indicate that data from SAR are useful for quantifying changes in carbon stocks resulting from land use change in Australia's woodlands and for applications in rangeland assessment and management.