What is it about?
Satellite-based radar systems allow for improved global remote sensing datasets. This study shows how these datasets can be used to track the spread of a rapidly spreading hawaiian tree disease. Trees that are healthy contain a significantly higher fraction of water. The reflected energy from the radar pulse is proportional to the amount of water in a tree. Infected trees have less water, thus less reflected energy. By simulating the radar reflectivity of the canopy, a difference of nearly 6x was calculated between the healthy and infected trees. This difference may be detectable if radar datasets are analyzed.
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This page is a summary of: Tracking the Spread of Rapid Ohia Death Using Synthetic Aperture Radar, January 2026, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA),
DOI: 10.2514/6.2026-2249.
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