Sentinel-1

Sentinel-1 provides satellite-borne radar data to map and monitor forest biodiversity and habitat structure across large spatial and temporal scales for biodiversity assessment and conservation.

Key Features:

• Satellite-borne radar data: Supplies large-scale spatio-temporal radar observations for detecting forest structural attributes relevant to biodiversity.
• Radar sensitivity comparable to ALS: Exhibits sensitivity to habitat structure that is comparable to airborne laser scanning (ALS) for measuring forest structure.
• Biodiversity mapping evaluation: Evaluated across twelve taxa in five temperate forest regions of central Europe with median R² values of 0.57 for radar versus 0.51 for ALS when assessing assemblage composition via non-metric multidimensional scaling axes.
• Predictive ability for taxa: Shows promising predictive performance for species compositions, particularly for birds and saproxylic beetles.
• Validation approaches: Effectiveness assessed through comparisons with ALS data and external validation based on local species data and stratified, standardized biodiversity records.

Scientific Applications:

• Forest biodiversity monitoring: Mapping and monitoring forest biodiversity and habitat structure across temperate forest regions to detect spatial and temporal change.
• Species composition modeling: Informing models of assemblage composition for multiple taxa, including birds and saproxylic beetles.
• Habitat quality assessment and conservation planning: Assessing habitat quality and temporal dynamics to support conservation strategy development.
• Integration with local biodiversity data: Combining satellite-derived structural information with stratified and standardized local species records for comprehensive monitoring and validation.

Methodology:

Uses Sentinel-1 radar data to model facets of biodiversity, assesses assemblage composition via non-metric multidimensional scaling axes, compares results to airborne laser scanning (ALS), and performs external validation with local species data and stratified standardized biodiversity records.