AirSWOT InSAR Mapping of Surface Water Elevations and Hydraulic Gradients Across the Yukon Flats Basin, Alaska ...

• Main Authors: Lion, C., Smith, L.C., Butman, D., Moller, D.K., Bertram, M., Cooley, S.W., Altenau, E.H., Fayne, J.V., Pitcher, L.H., Allen, G.H., Pavelsky, T.M.
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: Blackwell Publishing Ltd 2019
• Subjects: Arctic; Yukon; permafrost; Alaska
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.17615/0t96-1212; https://cdr.lib.unc.edu/concern/articles/tt44px331

AirSWOT, an experimental airborne Ka-band interferometric synthetic aperture radar, was developed for hydrologic research and validation of the forthcoming Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite mission (to be launched in 2021). AirSWOT and SWOT aim to improve understanding of surface water processes by mapping water surface elevation (WSE) and water surface slope (WSS) in rivers, lakes, and wetlands. However, the utility of AirSWOT for these purposes remains largely unexamined. We present the first investigation of AirSWOT WSE and WSS surveys over complex, low-relief, wetland-river hydrologic environments, including (1) a field-validated assessment of AirSWOT WSE and WSS precisions for lakes and rivers in the Yukon Flats Basin, an Arctic-Boreal wetland complex in eastern interior Alaska; (2) improved scientific understanding of surface water flow gradients and the influence of subsurface permafrost; and (3) recommendations for improving AirSWOT precisions in future scientific and SWOT ...