VEGETATION MONITORING USING A NEW DUAL-POL RADAR VEGETATION INDEX: A PRELIMINARY STUDY WITH SIMULATED NASA-ISRO SAR (NISAR) L-BAND DATA

In this study, we propose a new vegetation index (DpRVI) for dual polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data. The evaluation of this new index is performed with a particular attention towards the preparation of the NASA-ISRO SAR (NISAR) L-band system science objective. The proposed vegetation index is derived for two dual-pol (HH-HV and VV-VH) modes obtained through a simulation from L-band full-pol UAVSAR data. Time-series simulated NISAR data are obtained from the UAVSAR data acquired during the SMAPVEX12 campaign over the CAL/VAL test site in Winnipeg (Canada), to assess the proposed vegetation index. The temporal trend of DpRVI follows the growth stages of canola with a promising correlation of DpRVI with several biophysical variables. Correlation analysis indicates that DpRVI derived for VV-VH mode correlates better with the canola biophysical parameters than the HH-HV mode.