Analisys of the influence of vegetation in the altimetry of SRTM data in semi-arid watersheds

Abstract

Topography is a major factor for understanding hydrological and environmental dynamics. Therefore, validation of the altimetric data obtained by remote sensing is required. SRTM data are a result of an orbital mission by interferometer RADAR, corresponding to the Earth surface topography, also considering the influence of vegetation in the signal. The objective of this work is to validate SRTM data for the semi-arid conditions in Northeast Brazil. The methodology used consists in the comparison and statistical analysis of field data obtained with a differential GPS (DGPS) and other existing data bases such as the DSG/SUDENE topographic maps and level reference points from IBGE in the Jaguaribe basin, located in the semi-arid region of Ceará Federal State. Results present an elevation error of approximately 7 m in relation to the level reference points in the basin. The use of DGPS on a plan relief with very low slopes and vegetation with low height, resulted on an elevation error of approximately 1.7 m. It can be concluded that, despite the influence of the vegetation cover on the altimetric variation, SRTM data are reliable for regions with vegetation type typical of semi-arid regions.