Forests 2015, 6(1), 252-270; https://doi.org/10.3390/f6010252
Combining Lidar and Synthetic Aperture Radar Data to Estimate Forest Biomass: Status and Prospects
Sanna Kaasalainen 1,*
, Markus Holopainen 2, Mika Karjalainen 1
, Mikko Vastaranta 2, Ville Kankare 2, Kirsi Karila 1 and Batuhan Osmanoglu 3
, Mikko Vastaranta 2, Ville Kankare 2, Kirsi Karila 1 and Batuhan Osmanoglu 3
1
Finnish Geospatial Research Institute, Geodeetinrinne 2, Masala FI-02431, Finland
2
Department of Forest Sciences, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 27, Helsinki FI-00014, Finland
3
Biospheric Sciences Laboratory, University Space Research Association, NASA GSFC, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Academic Editors: Peter Beets and Eric J. Jokela
Received: 28 February 2014 / Accepted: 9 January 2015 / Published: 16 January 2015
Abstract
Research activities combining lidar and radar remote sensing have increased in recent years. The main focus in combining lidar-radar forest remote sensing has been on the retrieval of the aboveground biomass (AGB), which is a primary variable related to carbon cycle in land ecosystems, and has therefore been identified as an essential climate variable. In this review, we summarize the studies combining lidar and radar in estimating forest AGB. We discuss the complementary use of lidar and radar according to the relevance of the added value. The most promising prospects for combining lidar and radar data are in the use of lidar-derived ground elevations for improving large-area biomass estimates from radar, and in upscaling of lidar-based AGB data across large areas covered by spaceborne radar missions. View Full-TextKeywords:
lidar; radar; forest biomass; remote sensing; data fusion
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Kaasalainen, S.; Holopainen, M.; Karjalainen, M.; Vastaranta, M.; Kankare, V.; Karila, K.; Osmanoglu, B. Combining Lidar and Synthetic Aperture Radar Data to Estimate Forest Biomass: Status and Prospects. Forests 2015, 6, 252-270.