• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.36 no.2_2
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• pp.325-335
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• 2020

Forest canopy height can be used for estimate of above-ground forest biomass (AGB) by means of the allometric equation. The remote locations and harsh conditions of mangrove forests limit the number of field inventory data stations needed for large-scale modeling of carbon and biomass dynamics. Although active and passive spaceborne sensors have proven successful in mapping mangroves globally, the sensors generally have coarse spatial resolution and overlook small-scale features. Here we generate a 12 m spatial resolution mangrove canopy height map from TanDEM-X data acquired over the world largest intact mangrove forest located in the Sundarbans. With single-pol. TanDEM-X data from 2011 to 2013, the proposed technique makes use of the fact that the double-bounce scattering that occurs between the water and mangrove trees yields water surface level elevation over mangrove forest areas, thus allowing us to estimate forest height with the assumption of an underlying flat topography. Our observations have led to a large-scale mangrove canopy height map over the entire Sundarbans region at a 12 m spatial resolution. Our canopy height estimates were validated with ground measurements acquired in 2015, a correlation coefficient of 0.83 and a RMSE of 0.84 m. With globally available TanDEM-X data, the technique described here will potentially provide accurate global maps of mangrove canopy height at 12 m spatial resolution and provide crucial information for understanding biomass and carbon dynamics in the mangrove ecosystems.