Using ERS-1 SAR imagery to monitor variations in burn severity in an Alaskan fire-disturbed boreal forest ecosystem

摘要

The usefulness of ERS-1 SAR imagery in the detection of Alaskan boreal forest fire-scars has been demonstrated in previous studies. These studies have found that recent fire-scars (1-5 years old) have a brighter radar return in the C-VV ERS-1 SAR imagery (3-8 dB brighter) than adjacent unburned forests. However, this signature has been found to vary spatially across a fire-scar as well as temporally throughout a season. The purpose of this study is to analyze this variability and to determine if there is a relationship between severity of burn and radar backscatter.