Assessment of TerraSAR-X for mapping salt marsh

This study presents results of assessment of X-band SAR image for mapping salt marsh. Multi-temporal TerraSAR-X data were acquired with different incidence angle (23°, 31°, and 39°) in mono- and dual polarization modes (HH, VH/VV) for backscattering analysis. Backscattering coefficients from industrial areas were used to confirm the calibration. The types of land cover were differentiated based on seasonally averaged backscattering coefficients of classes. The behavior of backscattering coefficients was also analyzed as a function of SAVI (soil adjusted vegetation index). Decision trees were used to build classification rule sets. Accuracy of classification was estimated by reference image generated from field works and ancillary data.