Estimating tree height from TanDEM-X data at the northwestern Canadian treeline

A new paper on tree height estimation from TanDEM-X data has just been published in Remote Sensing of Environment. The article finds that tree height can be predicted using TanDEM-X metrics (backscatter, bistatic coherence, and interferometric height) in the sparse forest patches of the Arctic treeline zone at the transition from forest to tundra. Taking into account the global coverage of bistatic TanDEM-X data acquired for the global digital elevation model, the paper shows the potential for quantifying the tree height in small forest patches along the entire circum-Arctic treeline zone.

Antonova, S., Thiel, C., Höfle, B., Anders, K., Helm, V., Zwieback, S., Marx, S., Boike, J. (2019). Estimating tree height from TanDEM-X data at the northwestern Canadian treeline. Remote Sensing of Environment, 231,  doi: 10.1016/j.rse.2019.111251.

Use this link to get free access to the paper until 06th August 2019.

Want to have a look at tree height and other surface properties in the study region? The airborne LiDAR data is published and openly accessible in the PANGAEA data library.

The research was conducted within the PermaSAR project by the Permafrost Research Unit and the 3DGeo Research Group and funded by the BMWi/DLR in the framework “Entwicklung von innovativen wissenschaftlichen Methoden und Produkten im Rahmen der TanDEM-X Science Phase”.