Erik Blomberg

Measurements of forest biomass change using L- and P-band sar backscatter

Three-year forest above-ground biomass change were measured using L- and P-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) backscatter. The SAR data were collected in the airborne BioSAR 2007 and BioSAR 2010 campaigns over the hemiboreal Remningstorp test site in southern Sweden. Regression models for biomass were developed using reference biomass maps created using airborne laser scanning data and field measurements. The results from regression analysis show that using HV backscatter (or VH) in a model with above-ground biomass and backscatter change on either natural logarithmic or square root, and decibel scale, respectively, explained most of the variation in the biomass change, both for L- and P-band. In the case of L-band, the two best cases showed R2 values of 66%, when comparing two SAR images acquired 2007 and 2010. For P-band using the same models, the best cases showed R2 values of 62%. In summary, the results look promising using L- and P-band backscattering for mapping biomass change.

Mono- and bistatic UHF-band SAR measurements of a hemi-boreal forest

In this paper, the potential of mono- and bistatic HH-polarized UHF-band SAR imagery for mapping of a hemi-boreal forest is studied. SAR data have been acquired with the two airborne SAR sensors LORA and SETHI during a joint FOI-ONERA campaign conducted in 2010. Three acquisition modes are compared: monostatic, quasi-monostatic (difference in elevation angle around 0°) and bistatic (difference in elevation angle around 6°). Images acquired at two perpendicular flight headings are used, i.e. 178° and 268°, to evaluate the influence of topography, which often has an aggravating effect on forest variable estimation. It is observed that for the quasi-monostatic and bistatic acquisitions, the influence of ground topography is lower compared to the monostatic acquisition. A linear regression model is used to explain the dependence of the backscattering coefficient on the logarithm of biomass, and it is observed that the estimated intercept and slope are similar for the two headings only in the case of quasi-monostatic and bistatic acquisitions, of which the latter features the lowest error and the highest coefficient of determination (0.73 and 0.70, respectively, for headings 178° and 268°).

Forest biomass retrieval from BioSAR 2010 P-band SAR data using a regression-based model

A model for retrieval of boreal forest biomass from polarimetric P-band SAR images developed using the BioSAR 2007 and BioSAR 2008 data sets is revisited and evaluated using data from BioSAR 2010. Incorporating the HV backscatter component as well as the HH/VV ratio and the ground slope, the model is noteworthy as performing well when retrieving biomass values in Remningstorp using parameters trained in Krycklan. These two Swedish test sites are separated by 720 km and represent two different types of boreal forest as well varying topography. SAR images and biomass estimates obtained from Remningstorp in 2010 provides an opportunity to test the model further. This dataset results in a qualitative reproduction of the previous result, showing the expected changes due to forest management, but with a relative overestimation of biomass. A large part of this can be explained by the timing as the new acquisitions took place during early autumn instead of spring with the associated changes in moisture conditions.

P-band Polarimetric Model of Vertical Tree Stems on Sloping Ground

A fully polarimetric model is implemented to simulate backscatter from boreal forest. The aim is to correct for topography on a sub-stand level during the recovery of forest properties from P-band SAR data, specifically directed at the upcoming BIOMASS mission. The model incorporates the direct, double-bounce and triple-bounce scattering from tree stems on a sloping ground. Topography is introduced by assigning an independent and arbitrarily oriented local ground plane to each tree. Simulated SAR images are produced from in-situ measurements and a high resolution digital topography model (DTM) based on LiDAR data. These were obtained during BioSAR 2010 together with the corresponding SAR images, which are used for validation.

Phoswich scintillator for proton and gamma radiation of high energy

We present here a Phoswich scintillator design to achieve both high resolution gamma ray detection, and good efficiency for high energy protons. There are recent developments of new high resolution scintillator materials. Especially the LaBr3(Ce) and LaCl3(Ce) crystals have very good energy resolution in the order of 3% for 662 keV gamma radiation. In addition, these materials exhibit a very good light output (63 and 32 photons/keV respectively).A demonstrator detector in the form of an Al cylinder of 24 mm diameter and a total length of 80 mm with 2 mm wall thickness, containing a LaBr3(Ce) crystal of 20 mm diameter and 30 mm length directly coupled to a LaCl3(Ce) crystal of 50 mm length, and closed with a glass window of 5 mm, was delivered by Saint Gobain. To the glass window a Hamamatsu R5380 Photomultiplier tube (PMT) was coupled using silicon optical grease.