The role of Spaceborne SAR in Cryosphere Science
Bernd Scheuchl
University of California
Dr. Bernd Scheuchl has more than 18 years of experience with SAR remote sensing. He has a PhD in Electrical Engineering from the University of British Columbia, where he worked in collaboration with MDA and the Canadian Ice Service on evaluating the potential of RADARSAT-2 for sea ice monitoring. Throughout his career, he worked in industrial and academic environments on projects dealing with the development of a wide range of SAR applications. For the past 8 years, Bernd has been working at the University of California, Irvine, where he is involved in a NASA funded project producing ice velocity and grounding line maps of the world’s ice sheets using spaceborne SAR data. Among the research group’s major achievements is the first continent-wide ice velocity map of Antarctica. Bernd serves as a member of the NASA SAR Distributed Active Archive Center advisory group for the Alaska Satellite Facility as well as the ice sheet science coordinator for the Polar Space Task Group. He is a co-investigator the NISAR Science Definition Team.
Abstract
We are living in a period where remote sensing plays a crucial role in earth science. The Polar Regions have long been a driver for the use of spaceborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data. Lack of daylight in winter combined... [ view full abstract ]
We are living in a period where remote sensing plays a crucial role in earth science. The Polar Regions have long been a driver for the use of spaceborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data. Lack of daylight in winter combined with frequent cloud cover in the region make the technology a vital asset. SAR data has already proven its value in a number of operational uses, for example sea ice monitoring in Canada (and the rest of the world) has fundamentally changed with the launch of RADARSAT-1. While there is no science SAR mission in operation at the moment, international space agencies work hard to try to meet scientists’ data needs where possible. A significant increase in data availability in recent years has allowed scientists to move from proof of concept studies to providing large scale and in some cases continent wide information products.
This tutorial will provide an overview of the benefits of spaceborne SAR data in cryosphere science. Following a brief introduction of the primary techniques used, the use of SAR data in Polar Regions is discussed based on selected examples. One focal point of the tutorial will be ice sheet and glacier monitoring, however, sea ice monitoring, permafrost monitoring, and snow-monitoring examples will also be discussed. Information needs will be weighed against the information content of SAR data to evaluate possible applications and limitations.
The examples are followed by a more general discussion of data needs for the various application fields and an overview of how space agencies are working to fulfill them. A short overview of future missions concludes the tutorial.
Session
STu-3 » SAR Tutorial 3 (13:30 - Friday, 23rd June, SH-3620)
