Description
Measurements of forest cover and change are vital to understanding the global carbon cycle and the contribution of forests to carbon sequestration. Many nations are engaged in international agreements such as the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD+) initiative, which includes tracking annual deforestation rates and developing early warning systems of forest loss. Remote sensing data are integral to data collection for these metrics, however, the use of optical remote sensing for monitoring forest health can be challenging in tropical, cloud-prone regions.
Radar remote sensing overcomes these challenges because of its ability to “see” the surface through clouds and regardless of day or night conditions. In addition, the radar signal can penetrate through the vegetation canopy and provide information relevant to structure and density.
Although the capabilities and benefits of SAR data for forest mapping and monitoring are known, it is underutilized operationally due to data complexities and limited user-friendly tutorials.
This advanced webinar series hosted by NASA's Applied Remote Sensing Training Program (ARSET) introduces participants to synthetic aperture radar (SAR) time series analysis of forest change using Google Earth Engine (GEE); land cover classification with radar and optical data with GEE; mapping mangroves with SAR; and forest stand height estimation with SAR. Each training session includes a theoretical portion describing the use of SAR for landcover mapping, as related to the focus of the session, followed by a demonstration that shows participants how to access, download, and analyze SAR data for forest mapping and monitoring. These demonstrations use freely-available, open-source data and software.