Analysis of space-borne SAR data for wetland mapping in Virginia riparian ecosystems

In this study the utility of NASA's Shuttle Imaging Radar-C ( SIR-C) data are evaluated for wetland mapping and monitoring. The fully polarimetric L- and C-band data are used in hierarchical analysis and maximum likelihood classification techniques. Each map produced is compared with the Environmental Protection Agency's Multi Resolution Land Characteristics classification for pixel-to-pixel accuracy assessment. Results show that both L- and C-band are necessary for detection of flooding beneath vegetated canopies. HH- polarization is found in this study and others to be better than VV for wetland discrimination. The cross-polarizations ( HV or VH) are needed for discrimination of woody versus herbaceous vegetation.