TROPICAL WETLANDS PLAY A SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN GLOBAL ATMOSPHERIC METHANE AND TERRESTRIAL WATER STORAGE. DESPITE THE GROWING NUMBER OF REMOTE SENSING PRODUCTS FROM SATELLITE SENSORS BOTH SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION AND TEMPORAL VARIABILITY OF WETLANDS REMAIN HIGHLY UNCERTAIN. AN EMERGING INNOVATIVE APPROACH TO MAPPING WETLANDS IS OFFERED BY GLOBAL NAVIGATION SATELLITE SYSTEM REFLECTOMETRY (GNSS-R) A BISTATIC RADAR CONCEPT THAT TAKES ADVANTAGE OF GNSS TRANSMITTING SATELLITES TO YIELD OBSERVATIONS WITH GLOBAL COVERAGE AND RAPID REVISIT TIME. OUR OBJECTIVE IS TO INVESTIGATE THE CAPABILITY OF SPACEBORNE GNSS REFLECTIONS FROM THE RECENTLY LAUNCHED CYCLONE GNSS (CYGNSS) MISSION TO CHARACTERIZE SURFACE INUNDATION IN A VARIETY OF VEGETATION CONDITIONS AND EXPLORE HOW IT CAN BE BEST UTILIZED WITH EXISTING METHODS OF MAPPING TROPICAL WETLANDS. WE PROPOSE AN INTEGRATIVE ANALYSIS OF RADIOMETRIC MODELING GROUND MEASUREMENTS AND A VARIETY OF MORE TRADITIONAL MICROWAVE REMOTE SENSING DATASETS. WE WILL INVESTIGATE GNSS-R SENSITIVITIES FOR VEGETATION AND WETLANDS FROM A THEORETICAL STANDPOINT THROUGH IMPLEMENTATION OF A BISTATIC RADAR MODEL IN ORDER TO UNDERSTAND THE INTERACTIONS OF THE SIGNAL WITH VARIOUS LAND SURFACE COMPONENTS. CYGNSS REFLECTIONS WILL BE TESTED EXPERIMENTALLY WITH CONTEMPORANEOUS (1) FIELD MEASUREMENTS COLLECTED THROUGH A COLLABORATIVE EFFORT FROM THE PACAYA SAMIRIA RESERVE IN NORTHERN PERU (2) IMAGING RADAR FROM SENTINEL-1 AND PALSAR-2 OBSERVED OVER A VARIETY OF TROPICAL WETLAND SYSTEMS AND (3) PAN-TROPICAL COARSE-RESOLUTION (25KM) MICROWAVE DATASETS (SURFACE WATER MICROWAVE PRODUCT SERIES). BY EXAMINING THE SENSITIVITIES OF GNSS-R TO THESE ECOSYSTEMS AND CONDITIONS THROUGH OBSERVATIONS AND MODELING WE WILL DETERMINE HOW TO MAXIMIZE SYNERGISM BETWEEN DIFFERENT SATELLITE SENSORS AND PRODUCE AN ENHANCED WETLAND MONITORING PRODUCT. GNSS-R TECHNOLOGY OFFERS THE EXCITING OPPORTUNITY TO CAPTURE DYNAMIC INUNDATION CHANGES IN WETLANDS AT HIGHER TEMPORAL FIDELITY AND SENSITIVITY UNDER THE CANOPY THAN PRESENTLY POSSIBLE. THIS RESEARCH AIMS TO ADDRESS CRITICAL UNCERTAINTIES IN TROPICAL CARBON WATER AND ENERGY CYCLE PROCESSES.

Research Foundation Of The City University Of New York, New York NY

Investigators