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We introduce ultra-wideband synthetic aperture radar (SAR) interferometry as a new technique for topographic height retrieval. It is based on using a SAR system with large relative bandwidth that acquires data along two parallel tracks with a separation of the same order of magnitude as the flight altitude. The complex SAR image data are resampled onto a common reference surface, filtered, and followed by a Hermitian multiplication. The resulting interferogram is shown to have a finite depth-of-focus (DOF) in terms of phase coherence. The achieved height precision is controlled by the ambiguity height, which is shown to scale to the DOF as the relative bandwidth. This means that only one fringe is within the DOF as the resolution approaches the fundamental wavelength limit; i.e., the phase is unambiguously related to topographic height. The topography may thus be determined by changing the reference surface and retrieving the height at each step. The technique is successfully demonstrated to generate fringes based on VHF-band data acquired by the CARABAS airborne SAR system. Temporal decorrelation is not a problem due to the long wavelengths nor is the effect of tropospheric delay on the retrieved height.

Abstract-The ability to retrieve forest stem volume using CARABAS (coherent all radio band sensing) SAR images (28-60 MHz) has been investigated. The test site is a deciduous mixed forest on the island ofÖland in southern Sweden. The images have been radiometrically calibrated using an array of horizontal dipoles. The images exhibit a clear discrimination between the forest and open fields. The results show that the dynamic range of the backscattering coefficient among the forest stands is higher than what has been found with conventional SAR using microwave frequencies. The backscatter increases with increasing radar frequency. This work shows an advantage compared to higher frequencies for stem volume estimation in dense forests.

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