Application of Satellite SAR Imagery in Mapping the Active Layer of Arctic Permafrost

• Main Authors: Romanovsky, V., Lovick, Joe, Wang, Z., Li, Shu-Sun, Peterson, Rorik
• Language: unknown
• Published: 2003
• Subjects: Communications and Radar; Arctic; permafrost
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2060/20030112444

A method of mapping the active layer of Arctic permafrost using a combination of conventional synthetic aperture radar (SAR) backscatter and more sophisticated interferometric SAR (INSAR) techniques is proposed. The proposed research is based on the sensitivity of radar backscatter to the freeze and thaw status of the surface soil, and the sensitivity of INSAR techniques to centimeter- to sub-centimeter-level surface differential deformation. The former capability of SAR is investigated for deriving the timing and duration of the thaw period for surface soil of the active layer over permafrost. The latter is investigated for the feasibility of quantitative measurement of frost heaving and thaw settlement of the active layer during the freezing and thawing processes. The resulting knowledge contributes to remote sensing mapping of the active layer dynamics and Arctic land surface hydrology.